Childish — But In A Good Way
by Xx.WildAtHeart.xX
Summary: EPILOGUE UP NOW! "Are you really immature enough?" A story of two, very stubborn, slightly insane teenagers, that soon discover first impressions aren't really that important. - His lips twitch, "It's practically my middle name." - *Western Dream Boy's much, much, better overhaul.*
1. Chapter 1

**Overhaul! Depending on feedback, I'm planning to update this story every other day as I have completed the entire thing. I promise you, this story is SO much better than the original... which is why I'm going to take the old one down. It's awful, and this story is slightly different anyway, bit more fun. ;)**

**Read on, and enjoy!**

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I groan, pushing back in my seat. I'm not an aggressive person, believe me, but I have this strong urge to strangle a certain person. "Please. . ." I sigh, exasperated. "Just _shut _up." My pleas go unheard, and I pinch the bridge of my nose, doing my best to occupy my hands for obvious reasons.

The bus finally comes to halt and I wobble to my feet before proceeding to stumble rather precariously down an aisle full of complete and utter strangers, only to go flying out the door when a certain person _accidentally_ bumps into me.

"You're evil," I state through gritted teeth.

"I know," he grins, his stormy grey eyes shining smugly.

I grunt out something incoherent under my breath, continuing to walk straight ahead. He jogs a little to catch up with me.

"Ames?" He asks, a frown on his face, his dirty blond hair falling over his eyes, "You okay?" For once, he's actually being kind. _Talk about split personality._

I turn my head to meet his gaze before shrugging and dropping it. "I've been better," I say, pushing the thought of my day to the back of my mind.

He nods slowly before looking back up and smiling a happy smile. It's a kind one though, so we're good. I was being _slightly_ mean earlier; my brother's not all that bad.

"Adam!"

Our heads snap round, searching for the girlie scream. A girl with long, bleach blond hair scuttles across the street, a big lipstick red grin plastered on her face. She comes to a halt in front of us, still grinning like a crazed Cheshire cat. It's Marrisa, Little-Miss-Popular.

She goes to hug Adam but he skilfully slips away. "So. . ." Adam draws out, rather unsure on what to say. "Did you want us?" We are both renowned for our lousy acting skills.

"I want you!" she says in a shrill tone. I press my lips firmly together and decide to wait a little longer before I intervene. After all, this is like strangling him in an incredibly weird way.

"Did you now?" Adam asks, feigning interest. He's officially lost the plot. I look at my invisible watch and gasp in fake realisation. As I said before, my acting skills are near on pathetic.

"Oh! Look at the time! We've got to go! What a shame!" I grab Adam by the arm and pull him away, waving happily at Marrisa. "Lovely seeing you, Marrisa!" are my parting words as we turn down our road.

Adam groans, pinching the bridge of his nose, looking exactly like me. "That's our worst yet," he states, chuckling softly. I roll my eyes, completely agreeing with him.

We continue our way down the road, turning in through our little gate. Hopping on the little pebble stone pathway, I finally find myself at the door, just as it slams shut in my face. I grunt and push the key in the lock, effectively re-opening the door.

I'm about to scream at Adam for his blatant rudeness, when my dad appears of nowhere. "Great, you're back!" I'm about to inform him how observant he is, when he grins, clamping his hands together. "I have something to tell you both!" His eyes shoot to Adam, who thinks he's making a sly getaway up to his room. He freezes, slowly turning to look at us.

"What?" Picture of innocence, my brother.

I snort, walking away, calling over my shoulder. "Ha, good try!" Adam grunts from behind me, I can hear him trudging down the stairs. "Seriously," I press on, knowing at least one of them will hear my sarcastic remark. "You could be, like, a top spy."

Adam shoots me an incredulous look as he saunters into the kitchen, leaning casually against the door frame, his hands shoved in his pockets. "How original of you, Amy."

I shrug, leaning back against the kitchen counter and pressing my palms to the work top, lifting myself up. "What can I say?" I retort nonchalantly, swinging my legs back and forth.

Adam smirks, "Nothing would be nice."

Dad walks in, his hands held up submissively. "I have some news." We're the straight talking type— say it like it is; no time for pleasantries, my dad.

"I heard," I mutter sarcastically under my breath.

Dad shoots me a look and I hold my hands up in surrender. "I'm having a bad day, okay."

He's soon back to smiley mode and Adam's quick to rolls his eyes, "Just spit it out, will you?"

He holds up his hands again, "Okay, okay! You'll love it when it when I tell you."

_How reassuring._

"Which will hopefully be sometime this week," Adam mutters, catching my eye. My lips twitch and I avert my gaze back to Dad.

"I booked a holiday." He looks so happy with himself; like he's hit the jackpot.

"Pardon?" I ask, at the same time Adam blurts out: "What!?"

He falters for a second; obviously our reaction isn't quite how he imagined it. "A holiday. . ." he repeats slowly, like he's talking to a bunch of bemused five-year-olds.

"Yes, we heard that bit," I say bluntly, rolling my eyes.

Dad appears to be baffled, "Well, that was all I said?"

Adam face palms and sighs, "Where to?" I too face palm and await his answer.

"Alberta," he states. I peek through my fingers; I now have a smidgen of hope. Apparently, so does Adam.

"Alberta, Alberta?" he clarifies.

Dad nods slowly, "Yes. . ."

I look up from my hands, "Where abouts in Alberta?" The word _Alberta_ has currently been said a grand total of four times. I have a feeling it'll only continue to rise.

"Hudson," he replies, before changing his mind. "Well, not exactly in Hudson— but near it." My future is beginning to look that little bit brighter.

I hop down from the counter, smiling. "I can't wait, Dad!" I hurry up the stairs, and push through my door before lifting the lid of my trusty laptop. With a few clicks, Google's ready and waiting. I hurriedly punch in the words before tapping rather forcefully on the search button. With a flash, Google has completed its assignment. Only 0.14 seconds this time, with only about fourteen million results for me to scour through. All hopefully associated with a place called _Not Exactly Hudson— But Near It._

I twist my lips together, frowning in thought as I scroll. There's a little map and a few local websites, but nothing remotely interesting to me. There's a knock at the door, and I swivel around in my chair. "Come in!" I know for a fact it's Dad; it wouldn't even occur to Adam to knock.

He peers around the door, his fingers curled around the wooden frame. There's a cup of hot chocolate in his hand and he's smiling. "Here," he says, passing it to me.

I smile, cupping the mug in my hands, "Thanks, Dad." I sip tentatively at the warm chocolate, licking my lips of excess froth.

He smiles back, his light brown hair messy and out of place. His eyes flicker to the screen and he smirks, "Google's out in force again."

I place the hot chocolate down on the table, ensuring it's on a little mat before swivelling back around and returning to my clicking and searching. "For your information, Google is a _very_ reliable source."

"On contrary," Adam's voice breaks in, as he struts casually into the room like he owns the place. "The internet is open to anonymous and collaborative editing." I groan, resting my head in my hands."Add to the fact there are squillions of different sources," he squints at my laptop screen, "fourteen million to be precise on that search alone." He sighs, like this is such a serious worry for him. "So, really, Google is probably the most_ unreliable _source around," he says matter-of-factly. "Well, theoretically speaking, anyway. Things like this cannot be proven."

I raise an eyebrow, "Thank you, Adam, for your little analysis there. It was highly appreciated." This is one of those moments in life when you forget to tell the other person it's opposite day— on purpose. So technically. . . I think you get the gist.

He smirks, "'Welcome, Sis."

I smile sweetly back at him before returning once again to my search. "Dad has some more information," Adam pipes in.

I don't tear my eyes from the screen, instead, I continue to scroll. . . and scroll. . . and scroll. "Hmm...?" I hum, uninterested, my eyes pinned to the bright screen.

"About the ranch," Adam adds, in a way he thinks to be helpful. I ignore him; as the majority of the time, he thinks wrong.

"What ranch?" I muse, just so they think I'm partially interested.

"Heartland," Dad probes.

"Huh?" I ask. _Heartland?_

Adam sighs, "It's a horse ranch in Alberta."

I swivel around at the speed of light, which for your information is exactly 186,000 milliseconds. So technically, I'm only metaphorically speaking. "_Horse _ranch?!" You know which word I emphasise.

Adam rolls his eyes and shoves his hands in his pockets, "That _was_ what I just said."

I ignore his blatant sarcasm and the mass amounts of emphasising going on here, and turn to more important matters. "Why didn't you just say that in the first place!?"

He shrugs, "It didn't come up."

_Of course it didn't; nothing ever comes up when it's actually important._

Everything suddenly rushes to my head and a grin appears in flash on my face. "We're going to a horse ranch!" I do a little happy dance in my seat. "A _horse _ranch!"

After recovering from their shock, Adam and Dad both join in with me. Adam and I high-five, grinning like crazed Cheshire cats.

Now, this could be fun.

* * *

**Does this meet your expectations? It gets good pretty quickly, so you won't have to wait ****_too_**** long for a certain two to meet.**

**Reviews? Maybe...?**

**Next update Wednesday if you do!**

**~wildatheart~**


	2. Chapter 2

**An update like I promised! ;)**

**Enjoy!**

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I cross my legs, before promptly uncrossing them again. I shift in my seat, trying my hardest to become comfortable. Crossing my legs again, I wrap my arms around my knees. I fidget; _too posh_. Letting both my legs and arms fall, I lay like a squashed jellyfish. _Too casual._ _What do you do? Cross or uncross? _

I heave a sigh, pushing myself up and turning my eyes to the window. _Clouds_, _how wonderful. _I tap my finger against the armrest, impatient and incredibly bored. Someone pokes me in the shoulder, and my head snaps around.

He's holding a wad of papers, waving them in front of my face like an awkward fan— one that doesn't know whether it's keeping you cool or making you flustered.

I frown as he shoves them under my nose, "What are they?"

Adam grins, "'Holiday papers."

I smile, taking them from him. Pulling out the little table on the back of the seat, I place them down carefully, much to Adam's amusement.

I _hmm_ and _ahh _as I skim the large passage of text. Drawing my finger down the page, I finally stop when I reach the paragraph I want.

_Accommodation information._

I hold back the urge to comment on the interesting fact that it rhymes, and start to read it aloud.

"Nestled amongst the rocky Alberta Mountains, _Heartland _offers an authentic western experience. With the choice of relaxing in our stylish log cabins by the lake, or delving into the life of the horse ranch itself, you'll always have something to do. Learn natural horse techniques, take treks across the stunning Alberta landscape, spot wild mustangs, or just sit back and enjoy the calming scenery."

Adam grins again, "That sounds awesome."

I nod, "Dad's done himself proud."

I lift the paper and put it on my lap, turning my attention to the next page.

"This is what we're staying in," I inform Adam, taking a deep breath before starting to read. "Eight person luxury log cabin," I frown. _Eight?_

There's some more information about the cabin itself, but I don't read it, I'm still stuck on why we are to stay in an eight person accommodation.

"Eight?" Adam frowns, confused. "Why eight?"

I shrug, "Maybe they got it wrong; it happens." I turn the page, my eyes bugging when I read the title.

_Shared accommodation details. _

_Now, that doesn't rhyme._

Adam sees it, too. "We're staying with strangers!" He freaks out, "_Strangers!_"

I take a deep breath, restraining myself from freaking out like my brother. "It's just a mistake—"

"Seriously, Amy, a _mistake_?" he breaks in incredulously.

"I told you, _it happens_!" I argue, not entirely sure _who_ I'm reassuring.

"Not ones like this, they don't!"

I'm not even sure what he's just said is English, but he doesn't seem in the mood to be corrected, so I don't.

Apparently, our little screaming match has woken a certain person up.

"Would you shut up!" they say groggily. Our heads snap their way; said person is about the endure our wrath. He pushes up in his seat, stretching.

Adam shoves the papers in his face. "Why are we staying in an eight person accommodation!?"

Several pairs of eyes dart our way; apparently, we're causing a bit of a scene. I ignore their blatant staring, and wait for his answer.

Dad blinks, "Huh?"

_Oh, for the love of chocolate._

I groan, "Shared accommodation? Eight person?" I press on, hoping some keywords will jog his memory.

Dad goes red. I would smirk if I'm not so hell-bent on getting answers. Adam suddenly groans. "No mistake, Ames," he says, his words muffled by his hands.

Dad sighs, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

"Well?" I prompt, impatient.

"We're sharing with another family," he says quickly, refusing to hold my gaze.

Adam peeks through his fingers, "How many?"

"Five," I answer for Dad. Three plus five equals eight. Dad nods in confirmation as I glance at him.

"Do you have details?" Adam asks, having removed his hands.

Dad's eyes switch to the wad of papers. Mine follows and I proceed to flip through the paper sheets. Finally, I find the one I want. I take a deep breath and start to read, Adam peering over my shoulder in his seat beside me.

"_Other family_," I read the title aloud.

"Strangers," Adam mutters under his breath.

I ignore him and continue, "The Borden family." Dad's pretending he's not interested, but he's sneaking looks as I read. I ignore him, too. "Mr. M. Borden, Mrs. S. Borden. Children:Mister. T. Borden - age seventeen. Miss S. Borden - age seventeen. Miss F. Borden - age eleven."

Adam's now smiling happily— _talk about mood swings_. "Our age!" Dad looks like he can't be more relieved.

I weigh it up for a second, before smiling, too— grinning, in fact.

Dad is now sporting the look of a squashed jellyfish.

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**Sorry it's only short, but this is the starting point of the plot and is designed to give you a rough idea on what is to come.**

**Next update Friday!**

**Review? Let me know what you think? It's a bit better than the old one, huh?**

**~wildatheart~**


	3. Chapter 3

**Another update! Yay! ;)**

**Much longer this time, so... without further a do...**

**ENJOY!**

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I lean against the metal pillar, blowing little raspberries as I wait. I'm slouched— which I know is extremely bad for my youthful posture, but quite frankly, I don't care. Adam's shooting me looks, questioning my sanity— something I find is hitting me hard. I shoot one back and proceed to blow another raspberry— louder this time —all for Adam's benefit, of course.

I'm in the midst of a long, loud— any adjective you can find to describe annoying —raspberry, when Dad returns, waving a few brochures madly in my face. I scrunch up my nose and push them firmly away. He fumbles about with his bag before extracting his mobile and punching in the numbers written on his hand. I go back to blowing raspberries, only to be cut short when Dad shoots me one of those looks. An incredulous: _are-you-really-my-daughter? _look. I glance at him questionably before I stop; not really understanding what he is asking. He breathes a sigh of relief— which, quite honestly, I feel is incredible rude. _Yes, I am your daughter. Thank you, very much. _

He suddenly clamps the phone shut, making me jump, before bending down to scoop up his suitcase handle. I follow suit, walking obediently behind him and Adam as we trail out the buzzing airport.

Somehow, my dad manages to flag down a taxi— a process that consists of a lot of arm waving and strange hopping movements. It really does give the term _flagging _a whole new meaning.

The taxi driver finally pulls up in front of us, and I slip in, trying my best to ignore the strange look he keeps shooting Dad. It's not that I don't totally agree with him— because I do. No, it's because this particular driver isn't great on the eye. He's rather an eye sore— if you catch my very obvious drift.

Dad rattles on about the horse ranch, whilst I hold my nose at the stench filling the very tight space. I roll down the window— which is broken, so it doesn't really go that far. All flustered, I shift in my seat, ignoring Adam once again due to his rude mutters. I bend down and heave up my handbag before plonking it on Adam's lap. He glares at me, trying unsuccessfully to shift the dead weight. I grin, pleased with myself and sit back in my seat, stretching my legs in my newly acquired leg room.

By the time we reach the horse ranch, two things have happened: Adam has managed to tip the _entire_ contents of my handbag onto the seat beside him. When I say the entire, I mean _everything_. After putting a restraint on my profanities, I managed to recover just about it all. Secondly, thanks to Dad's ongoing stream of words, the driver took a wrong turn. Yes, a _taxi _driver took a _wrong_ turn. In any other situation, I would have found it funny, but by then I was an exact replica of a squashed jellyfish. _Well_, metaphorically speaking, of course.

I lug my suitcase out the taxi, slinging my handbag over my shoulder. Once I've got all my bags sorted, I glance up. Adam's beside me, his mouth formed in a perfect 'o'. I don't think I'd be wrong if I say I look exactly the same.

Dad's muttering to himself, pushing his phone awkwardly back in his bag. He glances up before looking at us, only to do a double take. He too, has become an exact living replica of a goldfish. I'm sure we'd make quite a picture.

_Flash! _

I swear, I _always _speak too soon.

I blink, here before me is a guy, with a camera in hand. He's smirking at me; he knows I can see him. He holds up a finger to his mouth in the universal sign of _shush._ I'm about to shout out, go against all that he's asked, but in a second, he's gone. I don't move for a moment, trying to submit the image to memory, only to break out of my trance when Adam makes himself known.

"What the chocolate was that!?"

It really does sound funny when he uses _chocolate. _It takes the whole _bad boy _edge off and replaces it with _adorable Easter bunny._

I shake my head, knowing I'll remember it anyway; a face like that is hard to forget.

"Hey, Ames?" he's waving his hand in front of my face.

I blink again, "Huh?"

"Did you see who it was?" he asks as I push his hand firmly away.

For a moment, I'm about to say _yes_ because l _did_ see him, very clearly in fact, but I quickly decide against it.

Shaking my head, I bend down to scoop up the handle, repositioning my handbag on my shoulder. I can think about the boy with the unusual eyes later, no need to worry about it now. "No— that was kinda weird," I say instead, because, quite honestly, it was.

Dad seems slightly freaked out, but tells us to get moving, anyway. I trudge down the little pathway, leaving my luggage at the gate before I climb the little set of porch steps. I rap on the door once, then twice. Swinging open, a young woman in her late twenties' is revealed. She smiles, placing her hand before me.

"Lou Morris," she says kindly, her soft brown eyes reflecting in the light. Delicate dark brown waves frame her face, complementing her eyes. She's dressed in skinny jeans and a soft leather jacket.

Shaking it, I smile back and introduce myself, "Amy Fleming."

She smiles genuinely, her eyes flickering to Dad and Adam. Before Dad can move my brother steps forward and holds out his hand.

"Adam Fleming," he grins, his dimples showing. He glances at me briefly, "Amy's twin."

She's beams back, "I knew it!"

Adam chuckles, stepping back so Dad can finally introduce himself.

"Tim Fleming," he says kindly, shaking her hand. They engage in a short conversation before Lou ushers us down to her truck and Dad heaves our luggage into the back before slipping in besides Lou. Adam and I slide into the back, and finally, the truck starts. I smile softly, admiring the scenery as it flies by.

Every hill top is coated in crisp white snow, the trees are bare and the sky is heavy with snow. I watch, fascinated, as we speed past the white fields, the entire fence line adorned with golden fairy lights. A smile curls at my lips as the scenery sparkles with blurs of golden light.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Lou breaks me from my daze.

I nod absent-mindedly; still in awe of the scenery.

"I love it at Christmas;" she adds, smiling softly herself, "everything suddenly feels alive."

I know exactly what she's talking about; she's right; everything does feel and look alive. After a moment, I turn to her and smile, "I love Christmas, too."

She smiles knowingly at me in the rear view mirror, before turning her eyes back to the road.

As we pull into the Dude Ranch, I stare in awe at the canopy of trees and the dainty little log cabins, all tastefully decorated with golden fairy lights.

I beam at Lou, "It is alive!"

She chuckles softly, "I just love it like this!"

I nod vigorously in agreement. "How long has it been open?" I ask curiously; the cabins don't look old at all, in perfect condition, actually.

From behind I can hear her answer whilst Dad and Adam lug our stuff out of the truck, "It was my dream three years ago to create a place for people to stay," she walks towards me, smiling. "It wasn't my intention to call it a Dude Ranch, in fact, I detested the name." She shrugs, "But finally, after months of planning the building started and two years ago last month," she made a sweeping movement with her arms, "Heartland Equestrian Connection officially became open to business." She finishes proudly.

"You seem a very driven woman, Lou," I comment, smiling admirably at her.

She smiles softly, "So do you, Amy."

I turn my head shyly away, biting down on my lip as I stare out at the ice coated lake. She chuckles softly, shaking her head in amusement.

"_What_ have you put in this!?" Adam exclaims from behind us as he hauls my case off the truck bed.

We both roll our eyes, and I call back: "I didn't think you were so weak."

He groans, his muscles showing beneath his top, "I'm—" something drops with a loud thud, "not!"

Lou laughs, smiling as I roll my eyes again. I rock back and forth on my heels, waiting for the boys to join us with the luggage.

"Okay, ready?" Lou asks, back into business mode.

We all nod.

She walks towards the stable, giving us a short tour of where everything is. Halfway through, I suddenly realise I don't have my phone.

"Lou, I'm so sorry, I think I left my phone in your truck," I bite my lip, smiling sheepishly.

She laughs, throwing me her keys, "Good luck in finding it."

I trudge back through the snow to the truck. Cupping my hands and peering through the glass, I frown in annoyance. Walking around to the other side, I press my nose up against the glass. Sighing, I flick through the set of keys, searching for the key labelled _Truck Keys._ Pushing the key in the lock, my eyes wander over the mountains, taking in the heavy snow clouds and high peaks. As I twist it slightly, something touches my arm. It fuzzes in the nanosecond I stare at it only to sizzle out when I'm yanked behind the truck, the keys jingling in my hand.

I shriek in surprise, my breath hitching in my throat. Slowly opening my eyes again, I attempt to calm my breathing. My attempts might as well be futile, at least whilst I'm still staring at _him_. Acorn-brown hair, green-eyed, smirking, ego head. Aka: Camera Boy. Nickname: Ego Head.

"What are you doing!?" I hiss.

Ego Head is standing a foot or two away, looking bored.

"Making sure you don't tell on me," he replies in a monotone drawl.

"You didn't have to kidnap me!"

"I didn't kidnap you," he rolls his eyes, a smile twitching on his lips as he looks straight past me.

I narrow my eyes and cross my arms.

"I wasn't going to say anything," I say after a long moment of silence. "If I was going to, I'd have already done it," I reason.

His eyebrows draw together in confusion, his eyes flickering to me, "Why not?"

I shrug, "Why would I?"

He's still frowning. I'm a complex person, it takes new people a while to figure said fact out.

I fix my gaze on him, looking directly his way. He's looking over my shoulder once again, but I ignore this particular fact. "Why _did_ you take that photo?"

His mouth quirks up, and he finally turns to face me. Holding up his hand, looking at me with pure amusement, he says: "You forgot your phone."

_Damn it._

I narrow my eyes and snatch the phone from his grasp with a _humph. _And with that, I turn away. Due to some crazy desire to have the last word, I say: "I know."

Walking back to the others, I work on rearranging my features, firmly shoving a certain green-eyed ego head to the back of my mind. I wave my phone in front of me, smiling as I approach them. "I found it!"

"Great!" Lou beams, swiftly catching the keys I throw her way.

Climbing up the small set of steps onto the porch, we brace ourselves for what we will find behind the little green door. I'm pretty sure that it'll be perfect, but what if it isn't?

Lou raps twice, and we're left to fidget awkwardly behind her. The door finally swings open and reveals a smiling man in his early forties. With fair brown hair, and a short brown beard, his lifted lips show collection of smile lines around his green eyes. They look familiar, but I can't quite put a finger on it. He holds open the door in a welcoming fashion, smiling kindly at us all.

Lou steps forward, passing him a wicker basket full of food. I blink, not having registered her even holding it. "Thanks, Lou," he says kindly, taking the basket under his arm. His eyes move to us and he grins even wider. "You must be the Fleming family!"

Dad chuckles and steps forward, "That's us, I'm Tim."

The smiling man shakes back, "And I'm Martin."

Newly named Martin's eyes dart towards me, "And you must be Amy."

I nod, shaking his hand, "Lovely to meet you."

He smiles at me, and there's something in his eyes I can't quite understand. Maybe he's a complex person, too.

Finally, Adam steps forward, "Adam, Amy's twin." He grins, his dark blond hair falling over his eyes before he's soon to flick it away.

"Well, let's not make you stay out in the cold any longer," Martin suggests, ushering us in. He looks to Lou. "Thank you for the food," he says kindly.

She grins back, walking casually down the steps, waving, "I'll see you all soon!"

We all nod back, hurrying into the cosy log cabin. "This way," Martin instructs, placing down the wicker basket on the entrance table while we tug off our boots. We follow him curiously into what I presume to be a living room. I know I'm correct as I step around the wooden door, my sock covered feet padding on the soft carpet.

Three people glance up as we enter the room, curiosity on their faces. In the moment Martin pauses, I take the chance to look at them all. A young girl, around the age of ten or eleven is sitting curled up in a small plush armchair, her soft brown hair falling to frame her face. Her bright blue eyes are pinned on us, her soft pink lips formed in a smile. Her button nose scrunches up slightly as she frowns, looking slowly between Adam and I. I smile back at her kindly when her eyes once again fall on me, and she responds with a timid smile.

Besides her on the floor is girl around my age, with curly dark brown hair and soft green eyes. She has a handful of dark freckles across her nose and rosy red cheeks. Her dark pink lips are also in a smile and she's watching us with interest. Her eyes flicker to Adam as he follows in behind me. Even though I'm sure her breath hitches, she moves on quickly to my Dad like she's seen nothing unusual.

The last to look up, though only by several seconds, is a kind looking woman with curly dark brown hair like her daughter and bright crystal blue eyes like her other. She too has a kind smile on her face like her husband and is looking expectantly in his direction. He catches her eye before introducing us.

"Everyone," Martin starts, "this is the Fleming family," he says kindly with warmth in his voice. I watch as his wife rises from her place on the floor and holds out her hands in welcome.

"It's so lovely to meet you, I'm Sophia," she states softly, her voice like chime bells in the wind. We introduce ourselves to her and smile happily when she throws a joke. She turns to the little girl in the patterned armchair and holds out her hand in a gesture I assume is to comfort. The small girl climbs timidly to her feet, hiding shyly behind her mother. She seems really small for her age. "It's okay, Honey, they'll love you." I watch as squeezes her hand gently to reassure her. "I promise, Sweetheart," she says kindly, pushing her forward ever so gently.

Although she clings to her mother's hand, she seems to muster confidence from somewhere. "My name's Marie, and I'm eleven," she says softly, her voice the younger version of her mother's. She scrunches her face up for a second, "Well, I'm really eleven and a half, but my mom says that's not too important." She adds in a rush.

I chuckle softly and she relaxes. Crouching down to her level, I hold out my hand, "I'm Amy, and I'm seventeen and a three-quarters."

She laughs happily, and shakes my hand eagerly before looking smugly up at her mother. "See! I _told _you it's important!" By the happy smile on her face, I can tell she's accepted me.

Sophia rolls her eyes and I stand to make way for Adam who crouches down in my place. "And I'm Adam, and I'm also seventeen and three-quarters," he grins.

I watch as her face scrunches up in confusion once again before realization dawns on her features. "You're twins!" she exclaims, her eyes darting to the girl in the corner. "Soraya they're twins like you and Ty!"

It's my turn to frown; I forgot there's meant to be three children. I watch as Sophia's eyes dart to the door behind us and she frowns, annoyed. Her expression screams disappointment, but she somehow manages to mask it in a second as she turns back to us.

"I'm ever so sorry; _Ty_ here seems to have misunderstood my instructions." I turn to face the direction she was previously looking, my eyes narrowing a fraction.

His eyes dart to me and he smirks. I raise an eyebrow, looking straight at him. And just like before, a camera dangles freely from his right hand.

Adam and Dad are oblivious besides me, about to make their introductions when he laughs.

I cross my arms and mirror his expression because the smirking boy before me is no other than _him_.

"Ah, we meet again," he drawls, his green eyes taunting me, shining with sheer amusement.

I smirk, matching his gaze, "It appears we do."

* * *

_**Dun dun dun! **_**;) They've finally met!**

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**It's about to get very interesting!**

**~wildatheart~**


	4. Chapter 4

**Next chapter!**

**Sorry it's a bit late. ;)**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

Adam frowns in my peripheral vision as his eyes dart between Ty and I like he's watching a hotly contended game of tennis. Speaking of Ty, he's still looking at me, and I can feel my cheeks growing hot under the intensity of his gaze. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he's studying me.

"You've met?" Dad asks, breaking us from our own world, clearly confused by our little stare down.

Ty's lips twitch. "Sort off," he answers vaguely, holding my gaze for a moment longer before moving his eyes casually away, just like his sister, like he's seen nothing unusual.

I frown to myself when he's not looking, but he's right; nothing unusual.

Masking my expression, I turn back to reality. Dad shakes his hand and he smiles kindly back, an entirely different person from Ego Head from a moment before. He moves onto Adam who's smiling casually at him like they've known each other for years. Both their hands are shoved in their pockets as they talk.

"Amy?"

I tear my eyes away from them both and turn to find the source of the little voice, crouching down to her level when I do. "Yes, Marie?" I smile kindly.

"Can I show you my drawing?" she asks timidly, although I can tell she's coming out of her shell.

I nod, smiling genuinely, "Of course." She tugs gently at my hand as she walks across the room to the little coffee table in front of the fire and I swear I see Ty's eyes flicker momentarily to me before he averts them back to Adam. I push him to the very back of my mind and concentrate on Marie. She pulls slightly on my hand as she sits down, gesturing me to do the same. I follow suit and cross my legs Indian style, eying the colourful picture with abnormal amounts of interest.

She lifts the paper a little, tilting it so I can see it clearly. Now I was expecting a scribbled drawing, maybe a few colourful faces with big heads and small bodies. What you'd usually expect from a child. But what I am seeing and what I expected is an entirely different thing altogether.

Marie is watching me shyly like she expects me to dislike it. I move my gaze to her little face, making her look me in the eye. "Marie, this is beautiful," I state softly, in awe.

Sketched lightly on the pale cream paper is a beautiful backdrop of the Alberta Mountains with perfect clouds and detailed markings of the scene outside our window. Even though all this is perfectly beautiful, my eyes can't help be drawn to the boy sketched on the left hand side, perched causally on a fence line, smiling softly at anyone who looks at it. But it's not the delicate lines of the sketch that takes my breath away, it's the way she's captured his eyes; bright, shining emeralds, glowing with emotion. And for some reason, it feels like they're only on me.

"I thought you might want to see that one," she says quietly as I stare in awe at the boy in the center. In a second, everything I put into not thinking about _him _becomes futile.

It takes a second or two for me to register what she says, but as soon as it sinks in, I blink. _Why does she want me to see this one? What's different about this one to her others? _I ignore the obvious answer in my mind, _the boy_, and focus on finding my voice.

"Can I see the others, too?" I ask, using everything I have left to place the beautiful drawing down. She looks confused for a moment before she nods. Clearly, this little girl is bright and it seems she knows things I most certainly don't. I watch as she fiddles around with a mass of papers, working hard to keep my eyes away from the drawing, only to sigh in relief when she quickly moves it to the bottom of the pile. It suddenly becomes even more apparent she's confused by my reaction.

As amazing as the rest of her pictures are, none of them can compare to the picture of her brother. It's strange, every time I look at him now, his eyes. . . they're not as. . . full as they are in the picture. And I know for sure Marie wouldn't draw something that wasn't there, it's not. . . Marie.

I sigh as I sit back in my seat, trying to think of anything but _him. _My attempts are futile and I find myself groaning in frustration as I face palm.

Adam falls into the seat beside me, unsettling me a little; subsequently breaking me from my frustrating thoughts.

"Over thinking things again, Sis?" he asks, propping his legs up in front of him and sitting back casually.

I moan incoherently into my hands in response and he chuckles. "You know, there's always a simple answer to anything over thinkable," he says, in a way that sounds like he's merely talking about the weather.

I roll my eyes, even though no one will have the great benefit of seeing me do so. I also resist telling him I don't quite think this particular mystery has such a thing as a 'simple_' _answer, knowing Adam's great wisdom doesn't quite stretch that far.

"Right," is all I say. Short, I know.

And just like that, this particular conversation is over.

"Sophia has a proposition," he states, picking at the hem of his jeans, completely indifferent.

"Hmm-umm?" I ask, equally disinterested.

"Well. . ." he sighs, laying back further, resting his head on his hands. "We were originally sharing rooms with our siblings, i.e. you and I together and Soraya and Ty together." He turns his head to me and raises his brow, "Make sense?" As far as my brother goes in making sense, I am managing to keep up here.

I nod.

"Well," he seems to favour that particular word. "She suggested we changed that. . ." Talk about drawn out explanations. I bite back my words and nod, again.

"She thought maybe you and Soraya could share, and then Ty and I could share." Honestly, he speaks in riddles sometimes. I think I understand his logic though.

I nod, smiling reassuringly, "Sounds great." I must admit, I wasn't really looking forward to sharing with my twin. I've known him all my life, and I love him, but he's my brother. We stopped sharing rooms at seven.

He heaves a sigh of relief and stands up with so much energy I'm almost certain he didn't retain before. "Fantastic!" _Glad to know you feel the same, Bro._

I roll my eyes and this time he sees them. He just laughs, though, and strolls over to Ty who's sitting across from me. I try not to let my mind wander. He catches my eye and smirks when Adam's not looking. I raise an eyebrow in contest, and he just laughs, smirking once again. He soon turns back to Adam and I'm left feeling like we've created a game— our game.

"Dinner!"

My head snaps around to see Sophia poking her head around the door frame, awaiting movement at her announcement. We all clamber up from our places and follow her through to the dining room.

I slip into place besides Soraya and Marie, surveying the table. There is eight of us in total, all seated around the wooden table. As we tuck in, I find myself chatting away to Soraya and occasionally Marie, who keeps sneaking looks at Ty before looking at me. Her brother catches her once and frowns, before following her gaze to me before he smirks. Again.

"So. . ." I start, spearing a piece of meat with my fork and placing it in my mouth. As I chew, I begin to over think things again. I hadn't just wanted to strangle Adam for no reason the other day; my day had been plain awful.

"Hmm?" Soraya nudges me out of thoughts and I look up confused before remembering.

"Oh, well, seen any other girls our age?" That's not what I want to ask, but I have to say something.

_I shredded so many napkins. . ._

She frowns, clearly seeing through me. She plays along though, "There's several..." She looks thoughtful for a second before she looks up, "You doing that workshop?"

_. . . I ordered way too much coffee. . ._

I nod, breaking from my thoughts, glad to be on safe ground for once. "Yeah," I smile. "I'm guessing you ride?"

She chuckles, "You guess correctly. Show Jumping, mostly. You?" She asks, popping food in her mouth.

I shrug, "I ride, I don't specialise in anything though."

For some reason our section of the table has gone unnaturally quiet. I frown, looking up to see Adam rolling his eyes and Ty frowning at his reaction.

"Neither does Ty." It takes me a moment to realise the quiet little voice is Marie.

"Huh?" I ask, confused. The adults are still chatting but the entire 'kids' section is silent.

Soraya answers for her as Marie has once again gone quiet. "Ty rides, but he doesn't enter competitions or anything."

I'm still processing this information when Adam breaks in, "Are you kidding me, Amy?! You are so modest it's annoying!" He holds his fingers like bunny ears, "_I don't specialise in anything. _Understatement of the year!"

"What!? I don't, though?" I interject.

"Oh come on, Amy. You have some sort of connection with horses, it's strange, it's like you totally understand them."

"Well, I do," I say, still weirded out at the fact my brother has used the word _totally_.

He groans, face palming, "You don't get it!"

"What is there to get?" I frown.

Through our entire conversation, Ty has never once spoken, until now. "So what exactly is it you do, Amy?" he asks, quirking his brow.

I shrug, "I'm flattered, Adam," I start, "but I just work with horses."

"That's not what you said the other day!" he argues.

"Argh!" I groan, frustrated.

Ty speaks again, but he's not looking at me, he's not really looking at anything. "I know what she means," he says slowly.

_Of all people to take my side!_

"So do I," says Marie, as quiet as ever. Ty glances up and meets her gaze. It isn't until now can I see how close they are. Marie really looks up to him. He loves her— a lot.

Adam and Soraya are frowning, sharing looks of confusion. In the end, they both shrug and turn back to me.

"So. . . do you have a boyfriend?" Soraya asks, more curious than anything.

I freeze.

I can see Adam roll his eyes out of the corner of mine, "God, I wouldn't go there."

_Thanks, Adam._

"Why not?" Soraya asks, confused.

Adam shrugs, talking about the weather again. "She hasn't had much luck in that particular department later," he says casually, spearing and eating a potato.

"And why is that?" she continues.

"It was a disaster, Adam. Can we not talk about this?" I plead, breaking his gossip fest.

"Why?"

_Oh, for the love of chocolate._

It's Ty this time.

"It didn't work out," I say, refusing to meet his eyes.

"And why not?" Soraya again.

"I don't know!" What is this, the Amy Quiz?

"It's okay," Marie breaks in quietly; she has this look in her eye. Like she knows something I don't. "Soraya and you will have plenty of chances here." She seems to always be the voice of reason, even in the most peculiar of situations.

Adam snorts, "Yeah, right." He shares a look with Ty before waving his hands in front of them both, "We'll have all the chances, not you two."

It's time for Soraya to snort, "Amy'll so have a boyfriend before Ty has a girlfriend."

"Oh, will she now?" Ty asks, an amused smile playing on his lips.

"We have a challenge!" Adam announces.

We both look at him, and say at exactly the same time, "We do?"

"Yes!" Adam replies, slightly too enthusiastically.

Soraya's somehow caught on and is now grinning. "First to get a date wins!"

Ty and I both raise an eyebrow but consider it anyway.

"What d'you think?" he asks, looking at me curiously, leaning forward in his seat.

I match his gaze, leaning in, "Do you realise how childish this is?" I'm not against it; it sounds fun. I'm just questioning whether his insanity is equal to mine.

"Very childish," he agrees solemnly, smiling knowingly at me.

"Are you really immature enough?" I ask, levelling his gaze, trying not to laugh.

His lips twitch, "It's practically my middle name."

"So?" Soraya asks, taking in our faces before grinning. "Tomorrow, the race for the date is on!"

Marie actually rolls her eyes, a smile pulling at her lips. "And _I'm _meant to be the child here."

It seems our little game has reached a _whole_ new level.

* * *

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	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter five! This is a twenty chapter story including the epilogue - which I'm writing as an after thought.**

**ENJOY AS ALWAYS!**

* * *

My fingers work quickly as I create a soft waterfall braid across the right side of my head, securing it with an elastic and applying a little mascara. I reach for my newly acquired hat and place it gently on my head. I frown as you can no longer see the pretty braid. I shrug, _Oh, well._

Soraya pokes her head around the door, her soft dark brown locks falling in loose waves down her shoulders. "Ready?" she asks, her green eyes alight. They're similar to her brother's, but not exactly the same. Her's aren't as . . . emerald.

I nod, smiling happily, tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear and walking towards her. She smiles back, almost skipping down the hallway, "Good. The boy's have already left."

I hop down the steps, landing with a soft thud on the grass-covered ground. We stroll across the Dude Ranch, joining a crowd of several others as we make our way to the open arena. Everyone's gathering at the entrance of the fence before dispersing into various areas where they are taking their seats. A girl in the center has a microphone attached to her ear and a lead rope held softly in her hands. Standing beside her is a dappled grey horse, his ears twitching in accordance to several sounds.

Once we arrive at the gate, we are given a small string like wristband with a wooden engraving in the center that says _H-E-C _which I am assuming stands for _Heartland Equestrian Connection. _I tie the wristband to my wrist and make my way to the stands with Soraya. Taking our seats, I fiddle with the loose string, scanning the stands for the boys. I soon discover my search to be unsuccessful and turn back to Soraya, just in time to see a girl sitting down beside her.

She has wavy auburn hair with forest green eyes and a heart shape face. Her light pink lips form into a smile, "Hi!"

Soraya beams, "Hi!"

The girl pushes a strand of hair behind her ear and smiles, "I'm Kate."

"Soraya," she introduces herself, before turning to me, "and Amy."

I smile across at her, "So, where are you staying?"

"Well, me and my sister, Elle, are staying in the cabin by the lake." She replies, looking around the arena. "I love it here already."

"Me, too," Soraya says, "How old is your sister?"

"One year older, so eighteen." She smiles, suddenly looking to her left. "She's over there." She waves in the general direction of the entrance and I soon spot a model like girl making her way up the stands. She beams at Kate, holding up her wrist, "These are such a nice touch." She soon spots us and introduces herself. She has the same dark green eyes like her younger sister but instead of curly auburn hair, her's is light brown and wavy with light blonde dip dyed ends.

Conversation flows easily, and by the time an announcement calls our attention, I feel like I've known them for years. I'm grinning happily as I watch the young woman from earlier walk into the center. She taps her mic by her cheek and a loud fuzzy noise erupts in the stadium. She smiles, satisfied that it works, before looking up to the stands.

"Welcome to my workshop!" she says kindly. Her light blonde hair is pulled up in a ponytail with single wisps of hair left to frame her face. "My particular workshop specialises in natural horsemanship." I smile to myself; this is exactly what I do.

By the time lunch comes around, I've learnt so much already; from T-Touch to Join-Up, to ways of understanding a horse's personality just by looking at his face. I'm beaming as we slip into a booth at lunch. We've already formed a little group: Soraya and I, Kate and Elle, and Georgia and Lillie, who are cousins.

"So, any good-looking boys around here?" Kate asks, popping a chip in her mouth.

"I've seen a few," Georgia admits. "None are amazing, but one has potential."

"Potential?" Soraya frowns. "Like wow or okay?"

_Technical wording there, Soraya._

"Wow," Georgia replies.

Soraya glances at me and I grin. "Details?"

Georgia looks surprised it's me but continues anyway, "Gorgeous brown eyes, like chocolate." Her eyes glaze over slightly and everyone's on the edge of their seats. Immature we know.

"And?" Soraya prompts, impatient.

"Dark brown hair and the cutest smile ever." He sounds perfect.

Soraya and I share a look before we both grin, wider than ever. "Awesome." She says and I laugh, continuing to eat.

"So there's only one?" Lillie asks, disappointed.

"Yeah, surely there's others," Kate pipes in.

Something catches Lillie's eye and she grins, "I've found two more."

"Really?" Soraya asks, trying to follow Lillie's gaze. I turn as well, only seeing our brothers'. "Where? I can't see," Soraya says.

"Me neither," I add, frowning.

Georgia nods in our brothers' direction, "Right there!"

"What!" Soraya and I shriek in unison. "You've got to be kidding me!?"

"No, they're the best I've seen so far," Georgia shrugs, one eye on them, one eye on her food.

"But they have terrible personalities," I argue, trying to magically slow the time it takes for them to reach us.

"Seriously, they're awful," Soraya adds. Okay, we're being _slightly _mean...

Lillie frowns, "You've met them?" She's the only one to realise said fact. Suddenly everyone is looking at us.

"Well . . . yes," I say slowly, nodding.

"How?"

I'm about to answer when someone falls into the seat beside me. "Ames!" he beams, placing his tray right next to mine. Ty has done exactly the same thing with Soraya and is currently telling her _all _about his fascination with T-Touch.

Soraya manages to catch my eye and I can tell we're both thinking the same thing. In my peripheral vision, I can just about make out four people eying us suspiciously.

"Wait!" Georgia says loudly, seizing the boys' rant's for just a moment. "Are you together?" she asks quickly. "That's why you were making them sound awful."

"Excuse me?" Adam breaks in, clearly disgusted.

Now she's frowning, and I'm left wondering exactly what statement he's disgusted by.

"I'm not going out with her!" he cries. "God, no. That'd be wrong." He shakes his head, "Why would I go out with her?" _Yes, I think we've established that, thank you, Adam._

"See, terrible personality," I say randomly.

"And I'm definitely not going out with my sister," Ty states. And cue all eyes on him.

"Your sister!?" Lillie screeches, her eyes bugging.

Ty nods slowly, "I've always been told we look identical."

All eyes move to Adam and I.

I shrug, "It's been said about us, too." Another random, not exactly helpful comment.

Elle face palms, "God, they're twins!"

_At least someone is sensible._

Now us four are participating in a doubles tennis match, and _we're _the ones in starch white little outfits.

"How could we not see that?" Kate asks, shaking her head.

_That is __**very**__ good question, Kate._

"Wait, so you're single?" Georgia asks eagerly.

Now it's Ty's and Adam's time to share a look. They both grin, and as they turn, Ty catches my eye, a smile dancing on his lips.

And once again, I am left mightily stumped as to why.

* * *

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	6. Chapter 6

**And so we've reached chapter six already. Thank you for all your amazing reviews!**

**I quite like this chapter, I think you will, too. ;)**

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* * *

As it's Christmas, the Dude Ranch also features an ice rink. And as I am me, Amy Fleming, this is exactly where my problem lies.

I can't skate.

At all.

My balance is practically nonexistent. Zilch, zero, nada.

So of course, adding two thin metal blades to my already dysfunctional feet can only make this worse. Much worse.

You'd think, however, this particular dilemma is avoidable. Although, by thinking this, you would think wrong. This is _not _avoidable, avertable, escapable. In fact, it's quite the opposite. I know this because my new best friend has previously stated it.

"You have to come!" Soraya said excitedly. "It'd be so fun!" Her green eyes were practically begging me.

"Soraya . . ." I said, uneasy. "I'm really clumsy. I can't skate."

She was having none of it. "Pathetic. Of course you can skate." She frowned for a second, "Well, at least you'll be able to soon."

I shook my head, pleading now. "Please, no, Soraya. I'll... I'll watch."

She raised an eyebrow, "Really?" She asked sarcastically.

I was going with it now; it's all I had left. "Of course, I'll be fine."

She snorted, "Right." I thought I'd got away with it when she smirked. "You're skating, whether you like it or not."

So you can see how successful that proved. It isn't until now, though, do I come to understand the reason behind her persistence.

"Amy!" Soraya whisper yells.

My head snaps up, grateful for the break from the battle of The Stiff Straps. "What?" And yes, I've named it.

"Look!"

I have no idea where I'm looking, but usually looking in the direction she is, works. No such luck. Just masses and masses of people. Oh, and an ice rink.

"At what?" I ask, yanking at my ice skate strap, annoyed now.

"Not what, who," she corrects cryptically.

I cry out in annoyance, "Why can't people leave these stupid skates undone!"

"God, Amy! Are you even listening to me?!" she sighs.

"Yes. Argh!" I pull hard on one of the straps, only to clamp it harder. "Are you kidding me!?"

"Amy, he's here!" she cries, frustrated.

"Who!?" My head snaps up, ignoring the side of my brain wanting a certain person over another.

She rolls her eyes, "Zac." She says it like it's the most obvious answer in world.

"Oh," I say. I suppose it is.

She stands up, glancing down at my skates. "Pull the left strap."

I look at her, annoyed. And why didn't she tell me that in the first place?

And with that, she walks skilfully to the entrance of the rink. And when I say skilfully, I mean able to walk upright and not stumble at any point. Like I most definitely will.

I pull on the left strap which enables the others to come loose, effectively making everything so much easier. With a few pulls it's undone. "Seriously!?" She shrugs nonchalantly and slides gracefully onto the ice.

Slipping in my feet, I somehow manage to secure the boot around my ankle. Repeating this with my left foot, I am finally ready. Yet, I'm so not ready. Not at all.

_Maybe I should just watch..._

"Amy!" It's Soraya and she's waving at me, a knowing look on my face.

I groan, and mutter, "I'm coming."

Gripping the bench, I wobble to my feet. That equals to standing precariously on two thin blades. Not good.

"Hurry up; you'll be fine!" Soraya calls again, slightly less patient this time.

I resist the urge to inform her I most certainly won't and start to move my left foot, my right feeling slightly too sturdy to move. I falter and rock unsteadily on my blades. Panicked, I rush forward, only to stumble right into the person in front of me.

Most humiliating, I tell you.

My arms flail uselessly and reach for the nearest object to grip onto. It takes me a second to realise, that in this particular situation, this _object _is someone's _biceps_.

Again, absolutely mortifying.

"Are you okay?" Said person asks tentatively, helping me back to an upright position, their hands still on my waist.

I blush, hastily removing my hands from his arms. "Yeah... thanks," I say quickly.

He shrugs, taking his hands from my waist. His eyes are brown, his hair a dark mahogany... _Oh, for the love of chocolate. You have to be kidding me!_

"No problem," he says nonchalantly.

You guessed it.

"I'm Zac by the way," he smiles and dimples show.

And there we go.

"Amy," I smile back, unable not to. Georgia was right, his eyes are like melted chocolate.

"Have a nice skate," he grins, "hope to see you soon."

I've melted. Practically liquefied.

"Yeah, me too." I smile back, finding it impossible to come up with anything intelligent. With that I turn awkwardly, and stumble again. A blush flares in my cheeks and I hurry away as quickly as I can.

When I eventually reach the entrance, my cheeks have partially calmed down. Soraya's waiting on the ice, giving me a look.

"Maybe your impromptu ability to fall over has its perks," she says casually.

I can't help but smile to myself.

_Hope to see you soon. . ._

"Maybe," I say sheepishly.

"Is he nice?" she asks curiously, still smiling.

I nod, "Well, yes."

She laughs, "What'd he say?"

"He told me his name and that. . ." I smile sheepishly again.

"And what?" she asks impatiently.

"That he hopes to see me soon!" I grin.

She squeals, "Ahhh!"

I roll my eyes.

"Come on!" she says, having returned partly to normal. "We _did_ come here to skate!"

I tense nervously; as you see, I'm still gripping the railing.

Her eyes dart to my hands, "You'll be fine."

I do not, in any way, agree.

"I promise," she tries again.

I sigh and start to move, grinning happily when I suddenly realise I _can _do it.

"See!" Soraya says smugly, "I told you!"

I throw my head back and laugh, and promptly lose all balance.

You know where that gets me.

Again, absolutely mortifying.

She sighs, rolling her eyes, "Spoke too soon." Holding out her hand, she pulls me up, allowing me to once again to gain control of my incredibly dysfunctional feet.

"Thanks," I say sarcastically, shifting my weight a little to steady myself.

She laughs, dropping her hands, "Come on." She smiles happily, her green eyes begging me. I'm still rooted to the spot. The same spot I plan to stay. "Please. . .?" She begs, and I cross my arms defiantly.

Something crosses her face, like she's seen something behind me, before she shrugs. "Fine, I'll skate on my own." I try to glance at what she was looking at exactly, only to come up blank.

So here I am, stood stock still in the middle of a rather busy ice rink.

"Amy!" Someone calls, and my head snaps up, smiling when I see a grinning Zac waving from the sidelines. I wave back but stay rooted to the spot. I think he expects me to skate over, but I'm not about to tell him that's not exactly possible, so I wait for his next few words.

"Will I see you again?!" he asks, sounding strangely old-fashioned.

I smile, "Definitely!" I call loudly back. We _are_ standing a good ten feet apart.

He grins, his dimples showing again. "Great!" And with a little wave, he's gone.

I sigh in content, turning my attention to the situation at hand. I assess the area, frowning when I see no available escape.

"Do you plan on standing here all night?"

I practically jump out of my skin, shrieking in alarm at the sound of his voice. I clutch my heart, stumbling back in shock. Of course, this leads to me laying flat-out on my back in the middle of a now, relatively quiet, ice rink. I don't know why I'm surprised; gravity wouldn't have it any other way.

"You okay down there?" he asks, his lips twitching, amused.

I fight the urge to roll my eyes and focus on looking at anything but him.

"Obviously," I state sarcastically. "Why else would I be laying on my back in the middle of an ice rink?"

He nods seriously, gazing at nothing in thought, playing along. "Yes, that particular question did cross my mind," he muses, averting his eyes back to me.

"You should try it, it's very comfortable," I say casually, staring up at the ceiling.

"Hmm, maybe I will."

This gets my attention.

His lips twitch, his eyes glint.

"Humour me," I say simply, raising an eyebrow.

His eyes sparkle and he skates swiftly to the space beside me, before climbing in a dignified fashion to the floor. He positions himself a foot or two beside me, lying down on his back.

"How on _Earth_ is this _comfortable_?" he exclaims the second he hits the ice. And I'm back to rolling my eyes.

"Yes, that particular question did cross my mind," I say mockingly.

His head shifts to the side so he's looking directly at me. I copy and turn to face him.

I smirk.

He smirks.

I stare at him for a second, noting the mischievous glint in his eye. He stares right back, smirking for England.

"What the _chocolate_ are you two doing?!"

Our heads' snap to our left.

Adam's frowning incredulously, looking at us like we are most definitely insane, no questions asked.

"She fell over," Ty states oh so helpfully.

_You don't say?_

Adam's laughter booms in my ears and I start to push myself up, only to slide back down. Ice is very slippery, I tell you.

For some reason, Adam chooses not to question Ty's presence besides me, and laughs once again before giving Ty a look only a tiny population of the world can understand.

With that, Ty clambers to his feet, holding out his hand like a true gentleman.

"Milady?" His lips are twitching again, his eyes are sparkling.

I raise an eyebrow incredulously, but reach for his hand never the less. "My Lord," I play along, pushing up, preparing to steady myself once horizontal, only to fall forward and canoe directly into Ty.

Now, in the last half an hour, fifteen minutes even, I've had my fair share of mortifying moments, but this— this crosses a line. A line I never even knew existed.

This— this is a ground-swallow-you-up moment. A moment I've prayed would never _ever_ cross me. But it has, and I've been left to wallow in shame.

"Sorry," I say quickly, rather flustered as I try to pick myself off the ground, and off him.

He laughs, climbing back to his feet, holding out his hand— again. "This skating thing," he says as he carefully pulls me up, "I don't think you're a natural."

I shoot him a look, "You don't say?"

He chuckles softly, matching my look with his own.

"Anyway," I say, quickly looking away from him. "That was your fault; you pulled way too hard."

He rolls his eyes, placing his palm ever so gently on the small of my back, guiding me to the safety of the side. I suddenly feel guilty, "Thanks, Ty."

He smiles, his gaze remaining forward. "You're welcome," he drawls, his lips twitching again.

And just like that, we're back to our usual, bantering selves.

* * *

**Quite like this chapter. Maybe they don't hate each other ****_soo_**** much...**

**Let me know what you think! Do you like Gentleman Ty? I do. ;)**

**Or do you prefer Mischief Ty? I quite like him, too.**

**~wildatheart~**


	7. Chapter 7

**Another chapter, you say? I know, seventh, too.**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

As we stroll back to our cabin, I can't stop thinking about _Zac _and how he expertly saved me earlier. _I wonder if he's a good rider . . ? I bet he can skate as well . . . oh, his biceps. . ._

I suddenly come to an abrupt halt, stumbling backward a few steps at the impact. My head snaps up, only to see Ty rolling his eyes, moving his arms back to his side. We are standing directly in front of the gate, and I, nearly just walked into it. I blush, "Thanks."

He laughs, looking like he's about to say something. But before I can blink, he pushes through the gate and up the steps. I'm still frowning in confusion when he pauses briefly by the door, looking straight at me, "You are coming in, aren't you?" He smirks, his face arranged in his usual lopsided grin.

I resist the urge to shake my head of my thoughts and instead, I nod, pushing through the gate. He chuckles softly, pulling out a key from the back pocket of his jeans and unlocking the wooden door. Stepping in, he holds it open for me, smiling a little when I roll my eyes. _Ever the gentleman._

I wander casually into the living room, landing with an _oof _on the sofa. An amused smile plays at his lips as he strolls over to the bean bag, landing in its center with a satisfying _ompf_ and a large grin plastered on his face.

"This is so much more comfortable," he states randomly, shifting a little. He wiggles his toes on the carpet, smiling down at them, "This carpet's so soft."

I shoot him a look, questioning his insanity, before adding my own, completely unnecessary fact, "So are giraffes."

He raises an eyebrow incredulously, "When did you stroke a giraffe?" He asks seriously.

"At a zoo. Duh," I answer matter-of-factly, stretching back in my seat.

He nods slowly, his lips twitching again. "Of course," he catches my eye, "how silly of me."

We're silent for a moment, and it's weirdly comfortable. And at some point, I realise I'm still smiling at our absurdity.

"Do you think lamas are soft?" I muse, completely serious.

He frowns in thought, contemplating his answer. "Yes. I mean, they must be. They have fur."

I nod along. "How about bees?"

His brow furrows in thought. "Again, they must be, they have little hairs."

"Hmm..." I acknowledge, trying to keep a straight face. I stare at the fireplace, biting my lip, my mind somehow wandering to the whole disastrous-date situation.

_That coffee made me so jittery. . ._

Ty's still sitting here, an amused grin playing on his lips as he stares off into space.

. . . _What was I thinking?_

I groan, frowning at nothing in particular. And then, I randomly cry out: "But you always get stung!"

And for some warped reason, Ty seems to follow my thought processing rather well. "Only if you aggravate them," he reasons. "And it's mainly wasps," he adds as an afterthought, shrugging.

"But what have I ever done to them?!" I question, throwing my hands up in frustration. I have no idea _why_ exactly I'm so annoyed.

"Forced them to make honey, killed them, stuck them in little boxes—"

"Okay, I get the picture," I interrupt, shooting him a look.

He smirks, "It's so sad. . ."

"I love bees," I sigh in a sing-song voice.

"Seriously?" he asks incredulously.

I grin, "It got you to shut up."

He rolls his eyes. "All you had to do was ask," he sings back in an equally irritating smug voice.

"And would you have shut up if I did?" I retort.

His mouth twitches, "No."

I grin.

He smirks.

_Ugh!_

And suddenly I'm struck with the thought: _I don't even like football!_

_Double ugh!_

I groan again, falling back in my seat, only to notice that we're alone. "Where's everyone else?"

Ty shrugs. "They went to grab something to eat."

I nod, my stomach rumbling, "You think they'll bring us something back?"

He shoots me a look as if to say: _Well. . . I don't think they're that intelligent._

"Maybe if we call them?" I suggest.

He shrugs again, "It might work."

I push up off the sofa and make a running dive for my phone, grabbing it and landing back on the sofa, all in a matter of seconds.

Now Ty's questioning my sanity.

"You're insane," he states, a smile playing at his lips, obviously having come to a quick conclusion.

"Looks like we have something in common," I retort, smiling smugly to myself as I focus on my phone.

He just grins.

I press dial, selecting loudspeaker before placing it on the arm of the sofa. The dial tone rings for several seconds before Adam's voice crackles through the speaker.

"Hey, Ames," he chimes.

"Hiya, what are you going to get to eat?" I ask, mashing my lips together as I watch Ty curl up on the carpet.

"Well, we were gonna grab pizza?" he replies, his words becoming more of a question than an answer.

"Sounds great," I grin. "Could you grab us some, too?"

"Sure," Adam says, "we'll only be ten minutes."

"Great, thanks," I say happily.

"Yeah, thanks," Ty chimes in from his place on the carpet. He's now rolled into a sitting position, his legs crossed Indian style in the center of the cream carpet. He's laying back casually on his hands, smiling happily at me, his crooked lopsided grin in place.

"Ten minutes," I sigh, lifting myself off the sofa. I pad softly across the living room, pausing at the door, "Come on, we'll need drinks." With a dramatic sigh, he heaves himself to his feet, following obediently behind.

Pinching the rim of two glasses in one hand and stacking two others in the other, I walk carefully down the length of the hallway, calling out to Ty as I do, "Can you grab the coke!?"

I can almost feel him rolling his eyes. "Yes, Madame," he acknowledges sarcastically.

Not long after, the others pour in, dropping into random seats around the living room. Ty and I are sprawled out on the carpet, still in the midst of our debate concerning comfortable seating arrangements. Adam and Soraya are curled up in separate armchairs, slices of pizza held to their open mouths'.

"What time is it?" I ask, curious.

"Half six," Adam replies, disinterested.

"Ohh," I hum, "right."

Soraya suddenly bolts up in her seat, "I just remembered!"

I am quite aware of this fact as I watch a smile curl on her lips, "Sledging!"

Adam's eyes widen in realisation. He grins before turning to us, "A load of people were planning to head over to this slope and go sledging!"

Ty's now smiling, too. "What time?"

"They said they'd meet at around seven," Adam answers, thinking.

I grin, my pizza now forgotten, "Are we going, then?"

Everyone nods, climbing to their feet. "Let's get this cleared up, and we can go," Soraya grins, creating a pile of plates in her hand.

Working together, we're able to clear up in no time at all and quickly make our way to our rooms to change into something a tad warmer.

Sifting through my case, I pull out a long sleeve dark navy tee, pulling on dark blue to jeans to go with it. A glance out the window at the flurries of snow tells me to keep going. I pull on a woollen cream coloured jumper, with a simple dark red heart in the center, wrapping a cream scarf snugly around my neck, pulling a dark red bobble hat over my dark blond hair. To finish it off, I wrap myself up in a red duffel coat. I slip my feet in my dark brown boots, tying them up quickly.

"Ready?" I shoot a glance at Soraya, rising to my feet.

She nods, "Yep, you?"

"Yep," I chime in reply.

"Good, good." She smiles at me, "You look great by the way."

I grin, "Thanks, so do you."

She shrugs, her soft brown curls bouncing off her shoulders, the longer strands swept up in a light gray scarf. She has a dark purple duffel coat on— the style slightly different to mine— dark blue jeans, and a light grey hat. Pulling on her boots, she follows me out the door down the hallway into the living room. We stride in, only to find the boys deep in thought, their heads' resting in their hands'.

"We have a problem," Adam states, sighing.

"We don't exactly have any sledges," Ty speaks up.

In all the time we've spent getting ready and chatting about sledging itself, it has never occurred to any of us that we need a sledge.

"Oh," I say, deflated.

"It's okay!" Soraya chimes happily.

All eyes dart to Soraya, "How?"

"We have sledges," she says, smiling with amusement.

"We do?" Again, in unison.

"Of course, they're in the cupboard." With that she skips down the hallway, yanking open the wooden door. "See?!" she grins.

We go to pull them out, only to find two. Soraya shrugs, "Oh well, we'll just have to share."

"Okay," Ty grins. "Let's go."

It's now five to seven, so we have more than enough time. After scribbling a quick note to our parents' concerning our whereabouts, we trudge our way through the snow in the direction of the gathering at the top of the hill.

We pause, out of breath, as we reach the bottom of the large slope. I grin, "Well, this looks easier than skating."

Well, that's just about jinxed that then.

* * *

**Oh, no, clumsy Amy sledging? How's that going to work? **

**Wait and see, my friends, wait and see. ;)**

**Let me know what you think!**

**~wildatheart~**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter eight!**

**Not much else to say! ;)**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

Many people have successfully conquered several large snow-covered mounds. Many have struggled for days clambering up large mountainous hills, speaking dramatically into some camera, documenting their every move so it can be played out in a couple of minutes on a little video, compete with effects and subtitles.

But not me.

I was _not_ built to climb, nor conquer. Plus, I'm not very good on camera.

So climbing this rather large hill, proves rather strenuous. I'm not unfit, I ride and work with horses often, I just hate moving on any slippery surface. That would explain the skating disaster, anyway.

When we finally reach the top, I'm slightly out of breath to say the least.

A smile curls at my lips though, as my gaze lands on Zac and a group of teenagers. He looks up, just as I land with an _ompf_ in the snow. He hurries over, excusing himself from his friends. I look up and grin, noting the fact Ty has made a beeline for a certain young brunette. If I'm going to win this bet, I'm going to have to act fast.

"Amy!" he exclaims happily, helping me up. He grins, his dimpled cheeks lifting. "Don't tell me you've already fallen over?" he asks, raising an eyebrow.

I face palm in shame, "I actually sat down by choice this time."

He nods, "I believe you."

He holds up a sledge, "Wanna go with me?"

I grin, _perfect_. "Yep, sounds great!" I say, a tad too enthusiastic. I need to win this bet, okay.

We head towards the very top of the hill, trudging through the snow. A few feet away from the starting line, we are ambushed. _Well_, Zac is.

"Zaaaaaccccc!" a nasal voice cries out.

I cringe.

It turns out, the Marrisa of Alberta has followed us here, and she's just about to put my possible date in jeopardy.

"Hello, Jessica," he greets, smiling but still moving.

"I don't have a sledge. . ." she whines.

Zac frowns, placing his sledge down in the snow, "Why don't you borrow someone's then?"

Molly smiles sweetly, "What about yours?"

Zac's eyes dart to me, "Amy's already doing that."

She looks at me and scowls before a wicked grin spreads across her face, "Why don't we take turns?"

Zac pauses for a moment, weighing it up. He shrugs, "I suppose we could."

Molly is beaming. I am not.

My date is slipping through my fingers like melting ice.

I don't like ice.

* * *

**Short chapter, don't shoot me! :(**

**But... If you want me to, I'll give you an early update tomorrow?**

**Sound good? Let me know!**

**Until next time! (Hopefully tomorrow!)**

**~wildatheart~**


	9. Chapter 9

**Well, this chapter's a tad longer, so hopefully you'll like me a bit more now. ;)**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

Sledging is great— put aside the fact I'm constantly battling with Jessica for Zac-time, I have so much fun. Sledging with Zac is nothing short of amazing.

Soraya strides over, laughing happily at some joke my brother throws. She grins at me, and suddenly looks over her shoulder at him and shoots him a glare. "I'll get you back, Adam Fleming!"

I raise an eyebrow but don't question her.

"So... how's it going with Mister Dreamy over here?" she asks, smiling knowingly.

Once I've realised she's not talking about my brother, I grin, "He's amazing."

"Really?" She smiles happily, "You'll win this bet by a mile."

After glancing Ty's way, I'm not exactly convinced. His hands are shoved in his pockets, a smile is playing on his lips, and he's chatting away with some girl I've never met. And she looks like she likes him. A lot. "I'm not so sure," I admit, biting my lip.

She laughs, "I am."

"Well, Jessica's done her best to stop me," I say.

She holds up her phone, waving it a little, "Plan B."

"Huh?" I frown.

"Mom said everyone can come back for a while," she grins.

I grin back, "You, are a genius."

She shrugs, "I know."

_And so modest, too. _I add silently, smiling to myself.

Turning around she calls out: "Let's go!"

Adam strolls over, high-fiving Soraya before grinning at me. "Hey, Sis."

I raise an eyebrow, but once again let it pass. I turn to Zac, "You coming?"

"Sure," he grins.

"Great."

With that, we all trudge back to our cabin. The adults are apparently out; Soraya says they're across the road at Georgia and Lillie's cabin.

Everyone piles into the living room, filing into smaller groups. I fall back on the sofa next to Zac, curling my legs up underneath me.

"Hey, Ames," Adam chimes.

"Hm?" I ask, distracted, looking at Zac.

"So, Zac," I start.

"Can you grab some crisps?" Adam breaks in.

"Huh?" my head snaps round.

"Can you—"

"Yeah, I heard you," I cut him off, narrowing my eyes at him. I finally have a chance to properly talk to Zac and he knows it.

I smile sweetly, rising to my feet, "Of course, dear brother. I know how difficult it is for you to walk three feet."

He chuckles, high-fiving Ty as I walk out. I grab the crisps, emptying the bag rather forcefully into a bowl. Striding back into the living room, I press the bowl into Adam's hand, "Your crisps."

He grins, "Thanks, Sis."

I land back on the sofa, smiling at Zac, only for Marie to climb into my lap.

"Hello," she says softly, studying the boy beside me with great interest. She folds her legs underneath her so she's sitting Indian style across my lap, "I'm Marie."

"Nice to meet you, Marie," Zac smiles kindly. "I like your top."

She looks down, a smile creeping up her face. "Thank you," she says quietly, pulling at the hem, twirling a strand of cotton around her finger. Then she cocks her head to the side, frowning a little, looking straight at him. She has this glint in her eye, suspiciously similar to the sparkle her brother gets when he smirks.

Her eyes flicker to me as she looks up, though she's quick to move them back to Zac. "So, do you have a girlfriend?"

My jaw goes slack.

He chuckles softly, "No, I don't, Marie."

She nods a little, processing this as if it's very important information.

"Hey, Marie," I say.

She turns to me, the picture of innocence, "Yeah?"

"Could you go and ask Adam to stop spying on me?"

Her lips twitch, once again showing an uncanny resemblance with her brother. "Sure."

I smile, watching happily as she walks over and whispers in Adam's ear. He rolls his eyes, shaking his head in amusement. He gestures her to come closer, and when she does, he whispers something back. A grin spreads across her face, and she walks quickly over to Ty, whispering something in his ear.

Ty laughs softly, pulling her tiny body into his lap, smothering her hair with kisses. She giggles, snuggling into his side.

I smile a little at the sight, turning back to Zac.

"So," he starts, "I guess anything ice related isn't your strong point."

I face palm, "You picked up on that?"

"Don't worry, I bet you're great at other stuff," he assures me. "I bet your great rider."

I smile sheepishly. "Apparently," I say, my mind wandering back to the conversation at dinner last night.

At this particular moment, Jessica decides to strut in. She sits down, crossing her legs, and smiling sweetly at Zac. "So, Zaaac?"

He sends me a look of apology, which to be honest, takes me by surprise. _He's apologising? To me?_

I smile a little back, not exactly happy with the intrusion, watching in frustration as he turns to Jessica who does her very best to occupy him for as long as possible. Rather bored, and at loss as what to do, I shoot a glance in Ty's direction, only to feel even more deflated. _I have to win this bet. His ego does _not _need more fuel._

He's still chatting away with that young brunette, laughing softly at her jokes. I narrow my eyes, _I will win this._

Soon, a good part of the group leave, thanking us as they make their way out. We smile and wave, chatting a little before they do. Twenty minutes later, the cabin is empty with the exception of Zac, Ty, and that young brunette of whom I have discovered is called Kit, and of course, there's me. Soraya's outside, chatting away with Kate and Elle.

"You like skating, Ty, don't you?" Kit asks, pulling on a little white hat.

He smiles a little and shrugs, "Yeah, I'm not half bad."

She grins, "Near Christmas, people skate on the lake. Would you like to go?"

"Sounds great," Ty replies.

She ties her belt on her coat, grinning at him, "Great. Friday?"

He nods, "Perfect."

With that and a little wave goodbye to us all, she leaves. And I'm left standing awkwardly besides Zac with Ty leaning smugly against the living room door frame.

"Do you like pizza, Amy?" Zac asks.

"Huh?" I ask, surprised. "Oh, yeah, I love it," I say quickly.

He smiles, his dimples showing again, "Great. Friday?"

I nod eagerly, "Sure."

"Bye, Ty," he says.

Ty waves a little, "Yeah, bye," though he's quick to return his eyes to me. He's smirking for England, that devilish glint in his eye.

Zac turns to me, smiling happily, "Bye, Amy."

I wave, still high from getting asked out by _Zac. _Mr Gorgeous himself.

"Bye, Zac," I sigh. With one final wave, I shut the door, grinning from ear to ear when I turn around, leaning back against the wood.

"I won," Ty says simply.

"I know," I say, mocking his tone.

I walk towards the kitchen, my sock clad feet padding softly on the hardwood floor. Just then, Soraya bursts in. "So...? What did I miss?!"

"I won," Ty says smugly.

"By a few seconds," I add, rolling my eyes as I turn back around to face the entrance hall.

"I still won," he says in a sing-song voice.

Soraya raises an eyebrow, "So you both got a date?" she classifies.

"Yup," we say in unison.

She grins, "This is great!"

"I know!" I squeal, grinning happily.

Ty's watching us like we've grown two heads as Soraya drags me past him, poking him in the chest as she strides past. "I know you're a marshmallow," she says, mightily confusing me.

He raises an eyebrow, laughing softly in amusement, although there's something in his eyes I can't quite decipher. He walks towards the kitchen as Soraya drags me to our room. She slams the door, and I fall back with a sigh on my bed.

"Details, then?" she presses.

I giggle a little, "Everything?"

"Don't leave _anything_ out."

* * *

**Like it? Hope so.**

**They got their dates! And Ty won!**

**What d'you think about this new development?**

**I'm sorry these chapters are rather short, but it is a _short _story.**

**Next update is the day after tomorrow... which is? Friday! ;)**

**Until next time!**

**~wildatheart~**


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry for the wait; I know I promised an update by Friday, but life tends to have a habit of getting in the way.**

**Anyway, ENJOY!**

* * *

I've showered, dressed, and eventually woke up, but I'm yet to find Soraya. It appears however, as I wander down the hallway, that my answer is just around the corner. Literally.

She's tearing a doughnut up with her teeth, chewing away happily.

"Someone's hungry," I smile, walking around the island and slipping onto the stall opposite her.

She shrugs, "Don't judge me," she says, "a girls gotta eat."

I laugh, "I can see that."

She just smiles as I bite into an apple. "So what are we up to today?" I ask between bites.

She chews the last of her doughnut, dusting her hands of sugar. "Well, Amber said we're working with mustangs today."

"Huh? Really?" I ask, interested. "When did she say that?"

"I knew you'd be excited," she grins. "And it was after the workshop."

I nod, finishing my apple and throwing it in the bin. "Come on, let's go then," I grin.

With that, we head down to the arena, joining the gathering by the gate. My wristband dangles from my wrists as we stroll over to the girls.

Kate and Elle wave us over. "Hiya," Kate says, smiling at us. "We're working with mustangs," she squeals.

Her sister rolls her eyes, turning to us and stage whispering, "She's rather excited."

We laugh and her sister playfully glares at her.

"Well, she was," Elle whispers.

Amber suddenly calls us all over, without her microphone today, "Okay, everyone over here!"

Everyone forms around her, soon becoming silent.

"So, the goal today, is to find a mustang that fits your personality," she starts. "There're exactly twenty of us and thirty horses. You have the day to approach and get to know your horse. Study what they do, when they do it, how they act and why they might act that way. Just really get to know your horse."

Murmurs fly through the crowd, although she's soon to silence them again, "Follow me to the field." And with that, she takes off and everyone soon forms a crowd behind her. Our group of friends are at the back, so we see the herd after everyone else. Never the less, we are in awe. They are magnificent.

My jaw drops, "Wow."

"These are amazing," Kate says under her breath.

"Amazing doesn't cut it," Elle murmurs.

Georgia, Lillie, and Soraya, are all silent, just staring.

"Okay," Amber shouts, opening the gates. "Off you go!" She grins, "Six hours, everyone! Remember everything I've told you; you'll need it!"

Everyone rushes towards the gate, including the girls. "You coming, Amy?" Soraya asks.

I think for a moment, before I shake my head. "No, I wanna try something," I say. "It's okay, go ahead."

She nods, "Okay, if you say so."

I send her a smile, "Enjoy yourself!"

She grins, "I will!"

Once everyone has dispersed, I make my way over to the fence line, following the frosted path for a while, just watching everyone. You see a lot if you just watch.

Soraya's got her eye on a mustang twenty or so feet away from her. She also thinks she's being inconspicuous when she shoots a glance at Adam every now and again.

Speaking of my brother, he's managed to corner a mare and is trying to approach it. I smile a little, he's so like my dad, and I, standing here, merely watching, am so like my mom. Dad often says I'm so similar to her.

I stop halfway down the field, leaning against the wooden fence, taking everything in. I stand there for a long time, and at one point, I sit down behind the fence, crossing my legs Indian style, looking as non-threatening as non-threatening can be.

I pull at the small tufts of grass peeking through the snow, mulling over my disastrous date once again. I over think things you see. It's a horrible habit, and it's often led me into bad situations.

Three hours go by, and lunch soon rolls around. We all head back to the restaurant, chatting away about the morning. Soraya and Kate can't stop talking, whereas Elle and I just sit back and smile. Zac swings by our table, although he doesn't stop to talk, saying he's got to go and that he'll see me tomorrow. Ty and Kit don't stop talking, flirting relentlessly over their meals.

After lunch, we all stroll back to the top field, the others slipping in through the gate once again, whereas I opt for the path once more. I situate myself in the same place, making myself comfortable in the dry patch I've found.

Another hour goes by, and nothing much has changed. I'm still watching and the others are still struggling to approach any of the horses.

By the second hour, however, something big happens. Since I sat down this afternoon, a certain blue roan has been watching me from afar. Until now, he's made no move to come forward, but I've remained still and have stuck to waiting. My patience has paid off, and throughout the second hour, he makes small strides in my direction. He's never exactly close, but to anyone watching, they'll have noticed he's moved.

The second hour draws to a close and we're soon into the final hour. Ten minutes till the end, and he's five meters away. Having moved from the other side of the field, this is quite a considerable change.

The majority of the group are either at the top of the field or to the left, whereas I'm at the far bottom, so the areas rather quiet.

Five minutes till we're to call it a day, he's halved the distance between us as of five minutes ago. I smile a little to myself, but I make sure not to alter my stance. In the last few minutes, he's only a meter or so away, but I remain unchanged.

And as I sit here, patiently waiting, I scan the field once again. And as I do, directly opposite me, I see Ty, in _exactly_ the same position. And in this moment, as my lips curl into an involuntarily smile, something nuzzles my shoulder. My patience has rewarded me, in a beautiful, beautiful way.

I cast a glance at Ty, only to find him looking straight at me. And he's not smirking, he's just watching. I duck my head and grin, turning back to the horse beside me.

And when I walk out the field at the end of today's workshop, Amber turns to me and smiles, "Well done, Amy."

* * *

**So, what d'you think? Please let me know in a review; I was kinda disheartened ****by the lack of reviews for previous chapters.**

**Are you actually enjoying this story? Is there really any point in me updating? :(**

**Please let me know.**

**~wildatheart~**


	11. Chapter 11

**Update! On time! ;)**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

Unlike yesterday, when I walk into the kitchen, I find not only Soraya, but the boys too. Adam throws me a grin as I slip onto a stall, reaching for the orange juice and pouring myself a glass.

"Decided to wait for us for once?" I ask casually, draining my glass, keeping one eye on Adam, awaiting his answer.

Ty's mouth twitches, amusement shining in his eyes. Adam merely laughs, taking a bite out of his bacon sandwich. "Something like that," he shrugs.

Soraya rolls her eyes, slipping down besides me. She taps her hands on the table, making a little tune as she twists her lips in thought. She's about to say something when Adam beats her to it, "What was up with you two yesterday?" he asks, shooting looks at Ty and I.

We shrug, catching each other's eye. "It worked though, didn't it?" I say smugly.

"Yeah, but you just sat there. For like six hours!" he argues.

I smile, "It's called patience, dear brother."

"So, did you _get to know _your horse?" Ty asks, raising an eyebrow, making quotation marks with his fingers.

"Yes—"

"Really?" Ty breaks in.

"Yes—"

Marie chooses this particular moment to make her entrance, tutting as she rounds the kitchen door. "Children," she reprimands.

We all stare at her incredulously, to which she shrugs and says: "You're gonna be late."

One glance at my phone proves her annoyingly right.

"She's correct," I sigh, sliding from my stall.

Soraya laughs, "She always is."

"I'm still here, you know?" Marie sings.

"Yeah, we know, Muffin," Ty says, kissing the top of her head affectionately.

I may have just melted.

She smiles happily, whispering something in his ear to which he rises and says: "Maybe one day, Muffin. One day."

I'm mightily confused, something I often am around Ty, but let it pass, grabbing my hat and pulling on my boots. "Come on, let's go," I smile, walking towards the door. Like every morning, we make our way down to the arena and once again follow Amber up to the top field.

Once we reach the top, she stops and says: "Congratulations, everyone, on yesterday's progress. You all did great, but today's about becoming even better." I can tell practically everyone is grinning from ear to ear, we're all as proud of our progress as she is. "Now," she pauses, "correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure every single one of you has been able to approach a horse." We all confirm this. She nods, "Good, so the aim of today is to halter your horse." She shrugs off the twenty or so halters from her shoulder, handing them out one by one. We all take one and await further instructions. "Now, off you go," she calls before adding: "Remember," her eyes flicker to Ty and I, "patience is the key." Everyone nods and are quick to make their way through the gate.

Once again, I follow the path, positioning myself in exactly the same place. I fall to the ground, crossing my legs Indian style. The blue roan from yesterday soon spots me and for the next hour slowly makes his way towards me. I make no move to rush him, and instead study his every move intently. I notice how he shies at close contact, and how he likes to stand and graze for a while. He takes his time, but one ear is _always_ on me.

As the second hour rolls around, I soon discover he likes to stick with a certain horse. This particular horse is a grey, and she's a mare. Both on them are making their way, slowly and steadily, towards me, perfectly comfortable in each other's company.

Whilst scanning the field in the third hour, I note Ty is exactly the same position as yesterday, like I am. I also note how intently he's watching the grey mare. It doesn't take me long to figure out that's his horse.

Lunch rolls around and I clamber to my feet, taking one last look at the two horses before walking back down the snow-covered path. I soon join our little group, which includes the boy's this time. I notice Kit's date, has also joined us. I haven't seen Zac at all today, and watching the two of them together stirs something strange in my stomach.

I slip into the booth at the restaurant, feeling a weird mix of excitement and total nerves when I see Zac stroll towards us. He grins at me, "Hey, Amy."

I do my best to smile back, "Hi, Zac."

He slips down beside me, placing his tray on the table. Ty slides into the seat opposite me with Kit soon to follow. The others fill into the large round booth, all chatting among each other. Elle gives me a confused look as I bite my lip, and even though I try to shrug it off, I know she doesn't buy it.

I chew thoughtfully on my food, swallowing it before turning to Zac. This is my first proper chance to talk to him since he asked me out, and I don't want to ruin it, not like I've done before. . .

"So, Zac," I start, smiling pleasantly. "What's your workshop about exactly?"

He smiles, setting his fork down. "It's about cross-country."

"Oh, right. So what do you do exactly?" I _think_ I'm aware I've repeated the same question twice, just with different wording.

He doesn't seem to notice, and if he does, he hides it well, "Mostly tips on how to ride the course." He smiles, his dimples showing, "It's a crash course on how to ride the course."

Again, I _think_ this is meant to be funny, so I laugh. I can see Ty eying me skeptically out of the corner of my eye, but chose to ignore said fact.

"So, are you looking forward to Friday?" he asks, smiling.

"Yeah, of course," I reply enthusiastically.

He grins, "Great, me too."

After this, we join the group conversation, although I can't help notice how Ty and Kit often slip into conversation of their own.

We soon go our opposite ways, but I can't help feel a little... deflated after my conversation with Zac. Why is it so awkward all the time? I bite my lip, praying this is not a repeat of my disastrous date. Nerves churn in my stomach and I feel rather queasy.

I don't know how, but Kate somehow knows this and does her very best to cheer me up. I can't help but feel grateful. By the time we reach the top field, I feel fine again.

I smile genuinely, "Thanks, Kate!"

She grins back, quick to return to her usual hyper self. "You can thank me later!"

I'm confused again, but I'm always confused, so I frown once before letting it slide. _I must not over think things_,I repeat over and over in my head. Over thinking never does me any good. I've learnt that lesson the hard way.

As always, I find myself sitting cross-legged in my, now, favourite place and am soon to spot my blue roan and the grey mare. Although, when I glance opposite me, I don't see Ty. Once again, I'm mightily confused; he's always there, and I'm always here.

There's something about him, something I can't grasp. The moment I think I finally understand him—

"Everyone thinks we're strange being so patient," a voice says casually, making me jump.

. . . Something comes up and confuses me all over again.

They fall to the ground beside me, bending their legs in front of them.

"Maybe we are," I say sarcastically, not moving my eyes from the blue roan before me.

"I thought I'd come and join you; you looked lonely," they say.

I shrug, "Since when did you become observant?"

"I always have been," they say in a way I know they're smiling.

I turn to look at them, studying their face. Their eyes are shining as always, and their skin is golden with tan, but this is not what I am confused about.

They're not smirking.

It's this particular fact that leads me to start a real conversation with them. I turn my eyes forward once again, pulling roughly at the tufts of grass in front of me. "My mom always believed patience was important," I say, twirling a piece of grass around my forefinger. "She said: if you wait long enough, you'll always get what you need," I continue. "Never want, only _need_," I add.

I carry on talking, almost to myself, but somewhere in the back of my mind, I know they're listening carefully to every word I say.

After a while, I turn to them and say: "Hey, Ty?"

He looks up, "Yes?"

"My mom died in a car crash five years ago," I deadpan, because for some unknown reason, I feel like, right here and now, I can tell Ty _anything. _It's strange, and slightly unnerving, but it's how I feel.

He takes in my face, which is masked from all emotion. I don't feel anything, anymore. It's my, and always has been, coping mechanism. He's silent for a moment before he says, very softly: "You were in it, weren't you?"

And it's at this point I have to turn away, my eyes prickling with tears, because his eyes, they're... there. There like they are in Marie's picture, like she promised me they are.

And when I do finally answer, my voice is hoarse, thick with emotion, "Yes."

* * *

**Thoughts?**

**;)**

**~wildatheart~**


	12. Chapter 12

**Next chapter! ;) Over half way through now; it's a twenty chapter story.**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

The warm water gurgles around us, doing a great job of soothing my tired muscles. The four of us, along with Marie and our parents, decided we needed a relax. Sophia suggested the ranch's spa, which includes a pool, a hot tub, and both an outside and inside swimming pool for children. We all headed towards the hot tub, deeming it the most relaxing for our muscles.

Adam left an hour or so ago to meet up with his latest girl, so it's just Ty, Soraya and I, and Marie.

"Pizza's not exactly romantic, is it?" Marie frowns as she sinks below the water.

"Muffin, Mom's calling you," Ty says as she resurfaces again.

She turns towards Sophia who's standing a few feet away, a towel draped over her arm, waving her over. "Oh," she says, sounding deflated. She climbs out of the hot tub, wrapping the towel her mom offers around her shoulders. She gives a little wave before disappearing into the changing rooms.

"Marie's right, though," Soraya says, letting her feet rise up out of the water. "It's a shame you're not going skating like Kit and Ty, as there'd be loads of opportunities for Zac to pick you up when you fall, which could be kind of romantic. . ." she trails off, smiling a little.

"Oh, yes," Ty readily agrees, it appears the Ty from this afternoon is elsewhere. "It's hard to imagine quite how many of these opportunities there would be."

I kick him under the water, glaring at him. "Okay, maybe I'm not the most agile skater in the world, but with a few lessons, skating with me would be like. . ."

"Dragging a sack of potatoes across the ice?" Ty smirks.

With that, I send as much water his way, drenching his originally dry hair. He shoots me a pitying, is-that-the-best-you-can-dolook before ducking down and grabbing my ankles, pulling me under with him. I resurface several moments later, coughing and spluttering but laughing all the same. Even though I don't show it, I don't mind that Ty's still messing with me like he's always done. I'd hate it if he acted different around me like I'm fragile and could break at any given moment.

"Stop it, you two!" Soraya cries in annoyance. "Ty, leave Amy alone," she shoots him a look which I'm not sure does much. I push my now, drenched hair away from my eyes, positioning myself as far from him as possible, which in this particular situation, is rather difficult.

Soraya turns to me, "You're looking forward to it, though?"

"Yes...?" I say, my voice rising an octave slightly at the end.

You see, this is where my problem lies. When Zac first me asked me out, I practically fainted. But now... all I can think about is it going wrong— disastrously wrong.

She narrows her eyes, "You're nervous, aren't you?"

"No, of course not," I reply quickly— too quickly.

Her eyes narrow even further, "Yes you are. . ." She frowns, confused, "But why? Zac's great to talk to, and you've been on loads of dates, right?"

My eyes flicker to Ty, I really don't want to have to admit this here, but it's not like I have another choice. So I take a deep breath and say: "One."

"Exactly, so you'll—" she does a double take. If it wasn't me she's looking at in disbelief, I'd find the situation rather funny. "Wait, how many?!"

I bite my lip, refusing to make eye contact. "One," I say again, slightly louder this time, "and it was a disaster."

"Skating date, was it?" Ty asks dryly.

"Very funny," I snap.

"Oh, you can talk Ty," Soraya cries, "your last date was hardly a roaring success, was it?"

His cheeks flush pink. Ty Borden blushed. _Blushed!_

I smile in great satisfaction.

He goes quiet.

"Wait, how do you know that?!"

Oh, well, it was nice while it lasted.

Soraya sighs, as if this is really not important, "A friend, knows a friend, who knows someone else, who's friends with Chloe."

"Oh, great, glad to know I'm at the top of the gossip list. Anyway it doesn't matter, I've been on enough dates to know that they don't all work out."

Soraya narrows her eyes, "Yes but why didn't it work out? Was it some fatal flaw in your dating technique?"

"Soraya. . ." he says in a tone which means he's clearly had enough.

"But what if it happens again, with Kit?" Soraya ploughs in. "Just imagine the misery and shame if it all goes wrong, again?"

"Stop talking about disastrous dates! Please!" I cry, my mind going into overdrive now. "You're terrifying me! This date with Zac has to go well, it just has to!"

"So what went wrong with your one and only date, then?" Ty asks, frowning, having miraculously returned to the Ty I spoke to earlier.

"Well, asides from pretending I have any interest what so ever, or knowledge for that matter, in football to get there in the first place, it seemed to be doomed from the start." I sigh, "That's the thing, I'd love to know where I'm going wrong. You know, marks out of ten— that sort of thing."

"'Conversation: Lost the will to live'; 'Appearance: Can be a bit wet and shivery sometimes...' That kind of thing?" Ty asks, smirking.

"Mmm. That kind of thing," I nod. "'Personalitly: Think's he's funny but is totally deluded.'"

Soraya giggles.

"But seriously," I press on, "if you did get marks out of ten, you'd at least know what went wrong and be able to fix it. If only I could work it out, then I'd at least have half a chance with Zac."

Soraya suddenly sits up, I've decided this is a habit of hers, "Well the solutions obvious! For both of you," she cries enthusiastically. "You need a practice date!"

"A what?" Ty and I blurt in unison.

"A practice date. You and Ty go out for an evening. Erm. . . It'll have to be tomorrow and you have to be horribly honest with each other. I'll work out the category's. But by the time you both go on your real dates, you'll know exactly where you're going wrong."

There's an awkward silence as Ty and I process this information. Then, Ty surprises me by saying slowly: "Okay, I'll do it. Cause let's face it Amy's gonna need all the help she can get." I kick him again.

"And I'll do it, cause, quite _honestly _you don't stand a chance of a second date, after she's spent sometime alone with you," I add.

"Charmed, I'm sure," he smirks.

"Okay then." Soraya takes a deep breath, "The rules: it has to be like a real date, you have to go skating then go for a pizza."

"God no," Ty says, sounding horrified. I'm flattered, I tell you. "There's no way I'm spending time on ice with Bambi here."

"Being rude, is not the same as being honest. Is it Soraya?" I point out, feeling strangely like a child.

"Be quiet, both of you. Now listen, the category's will be:" she ticks them off on her fingers, "Appearance; Interesting Conversation; Sense of Humour and..." She pauses, thinking, "Kissing ability!"

"Whoa!" Ty and I howl in embarrassment.

Soraya grins, "Well skip that, obviously. Be totally honest, don't spare each others feelings."

"Agreed," we chorus.

Soraya looks incredibly pleased with herself, "Good. Well that's sorted then. Practice date starts at 6.30pm tomorrow. Number one category; Appearance, first impressions matter you know. . ."

Well, I don't think Ty's first impression can get much worse. . . Mine, however, only God knows how bad that was.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13!** **The long awaited practice date has finally arrived! ;)**

**Thank you for all your reviews! I love reading them, and they always make me smile.**

**Long chapter as big thank you!**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

I flip the little notepad over in my hands, trailing a squiggly line down it's spine. I bite my lip, it feels strange going out with Ty. I mean, not so long ago, we practically detested each other. What's changed? I know it's only a practice date, but that's not how it feels right now. . .

"You ready?" Soraya chirps, snapping me from my inner musing.

"Yeah, sure," I say quickly, standing from the bed.

She nods, gesturing towards the door, "Good, let's go."

I slip the notepad in my purse and follow her down the hall. Rounding the corner, for some reason, I'm nervous. I'm not sure why; Ty's seen me in pajamas.

The sight I see is rather amusing, to say the least. Marie, hands on her little hips, is staring defiantly at her brother. Her head snaps up as I walk in. "Tell him, Amy," she says, "that shirt is not right." She crosses her arms across her chest, raising an eyebrow expectantly.

I scrunch my face up as I take him in. He's wearing dark jeans with a dark grey top.

"She's right, Ty," I say. It doesn't bring out his eyes. That, I don't say.

"Ah," his dad sighs from the corner. "And so it begins, a lifetime of being bossed around by women."

My dad chuckles, nodding in agreement.

"So?" I ask. "What about me, Marie?"

"You're good," she smiles approvingly. "What do you think, Ty?" she turns to him expectantly.

"Yes, what do you think, Ty?" his dad echoes, grinning.

"Can I have some help here?" Sophia's voice calls from the doorway. She looks pointedly at both men, who are pouting. After a moment or two, they both make a big show of grumbling to their feet. Once they've disappeared, she rolls her eyes affectionately and makes her way back to the kitchen to supervise the dads.

"So...?" I draw the conversation back. "What do you think?"

He scrunches his face up, mocking me. He's got my favourite sparkle in his eye. _Wait, favourite?_

_Don't over think things_, I chant in my head. _Don't over think things... Don't over think things..._

I push both thoughts firmly away and focus back on here and now.

"You tried...?" he says, as if it's a question.

"Nooo!" someone cries from the kitchen, the voice sounding suspiciously like his dad.

"Ty...!" I whine. "You're meant to be helpful!"

Marie face palms, "Ty, you're rubbish at this."

His mouth twitches, "I'm joking, Muffin." He smiles at me, "She looks great."

I smile happily in satisfaction, feeling strangely fuzzy inside.

Soraya checks her watch, and ushers us out, shoving a notepad in Ty's hand at the same time. She pats him on the shoulder, "Be good."

He rolls his eyes, calling over his shoulder, "Adam, keep an eye on her. Make sure she doesn't suddenly decide to check up on us."

My brother chuckles softly, "I'm watching her." He makes the universal sign of _I'll be watching you _to Soraya.

"Okay, okay," Soraya pushes us out the door. "Now go," she orders. "And Ty," she adds. "Don't let her break anything important."

He rolls his eyes, "I won't."

I shiver as cold air whips past me, pulling my coat tight around me. I bury my chin in my scarf, my teeth chattering. Shoving my glove clad hands in my coat pockets, I walk briskly across the Dude Ranch beside Ty.

The plan is to go to the ranch's ice rink and then drive out of town to the pizza restaurant after.

It only takes a couple of minutes for us to reach our destination and we're soon pulling on our boots. Well, Ty is. I've managed to get myself in a muddle again.

I cry out in frustration, giving up. Ty raises an eyebrow, "Need any help?"

I yank at the left strap; it worked last time. "No, I'm," the strap pings back and whacks my finger, "fine!"

"Okay, I'll meet you on the ice," he smiles, amusement sparkling in his eyes.

He starts to walk away, and I groan, "Okay, yes! Yes, I need help!"

He chuckles softly, sitting down on the bench and pulling my boot clad foot into his lap, "All you had do was ask."

I roll my eyes, it's not the first time that's been said.

His fingers work quickly and before I know it, he's placing them down gently on the floor. I smile sheepishly, "Thanks, Ty."

He smiles back, holding out his hand. I take it, gripping it as I pull myself up; I don't trust myself to stand up without help.

Once steady, I release his hand, trying to shake off the tingling sensation that definitely should not be there, only to step forward and grab it again.

"Please, don't let me fall," I plead.

He shakes his head, smiling kindly, "I won't, promise."

I take a deep breath, "Good."

I bite down on my lip anxiously. He holds my hand tight, keeping me upright, "You'll be fine, I'll make sure of it."

I nod, not really agreeing with the first part but listening anyway. Clutching at his hand, I lower my boot down onto the ice, wobbling nervously.

Ty pauses, contemplating something, before placing my hand on the railing. "Hold on," he says and I'm left trying to work out what sense he's insinuating. Hold on to the railing or hold on a second?

He hops down onto the ice, skating to beside me. Looking straight at me, he asks: "Do you trust me?"

I bite my lip in thought, do I trust him? I might as well have poured my heart out yesterday afternoon, I trusted him then. . . But do I trust him now?

Taking a deep breath, I nod, "Yes." Of course I do.

He smiles, taking my hand, "Just copy me, okay?"

In the next twenty minutes, I don't exactly do much copying.

I'm starting to feel rather bad for Ty, who's hauled me up every single time.

This time, when I fall, he just sighs, "I beginning to think you prefer the floor."

I laugh, tired, "Oh, I love it. It's so... cold."

He rolls his eyes, "This isn't exactly helping for tomorrow night."

"Well, at least I'm not skating."

He smiles a little, climbing down beside me. I'm beginning to think this is a habit of ours, sitting randomly in the middle of an ice rink.

"Now that would be dangerous," he makes a face as if imagining it.

I poke him playfully in the side with my elbow. He just laughs softly.

A sudden thought appears in my mind, "Hey, Ty?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you still have that photo?"

His lips twitch, "Maybe."

I laugh, looking around the ice rink. Several people are shooting us strange looks.

We both turn to look at each other at the same time and say: "Shall we go?"

We laugh, nodding, "Yeah."

I smile a little as he helps me to my feet, gripping his hand. He helps me over to the side, before saving me another argument with my straps by doing them, too.

As he's pulling off his own boots, I take out my little notepad, tapping the pen against my lips in thought. He's been helpful, and patient, I suppose.

I scribble down both words, twisting my lips in thought.

I shoot a glance his way, only to find him staring at me quizzically, his own notepad in hand. "So? How have I been?"

"Well," I say, "you have been helpful..."

"Just helpful?" he asks incredulously. "I've been pretty patient, too."

"I know," I say. "I've got that, too." I add, "What about me?"

He smirks, "Now why would I tell you that?"

_Damn it._

I narrow my eyes and he chuckles, "Come on, I'm hungry."

I follow him with a huff.

He holds open the car door, chuckling when I roll my eyes. "Milady," he says with a smile pulling at his lips.

Playing along, I say: "Thank you, my Lord."

We grin childishly, laughing at our absurdity. Slipping into the car, he pulls out of the parking lot. I rest my arm on the window ledge, watching the lights blur. We're quiet the whole way, but it's comfortable.

Five minutes later, we're seated by the window in a cosy pizza restaurant. It's a sweet little place with warm yellow walls and small accents of red throughout the room. Golden lights are strung from an ancient fireplace, and pizzas cook in old fashioned wood ovens, filling the room with a mouth-watering scent.

I smile softly, taking the place in, "This is beautiful."

Ty smiles a little, passing me a menu. "Thanks," I say, scanning it.

A few moments later, a waitress hurries over. She's flustered, overwhelmed by the demand. I smile pleasantly at her.

"Would you like anything to drink?" she asks, smoothing down her skirt.

"Erm...? Coke, please," I say, looking expectantly at Ty.

He twists his lips in thought, "I'll have the same."

The waitress nods, "They won't be long," she says before hurrying off to greet another customer.

I look at Ty, "Could you at least give me a hint on where I'm going wrong?"

He laughs, "That's the thing, you're not."

I frown, "I must be, otherwise what _did _go wrong with my first date?"

He shrugs, "I'm not entirely sure. What about me, any fatal flaws?"

"Why should I tell you?" I retort, raising my brow in challenge, leaning forward in my seat.

He pouts, "I need it...?" he asks hopefully, leaning in, too.

I laugh, caving almost instantly due to our close proximity. I fall back in my seat, "One word: compliments," I say simply.

He frowns, "But I have complimented you?"

"Yes, but you have to keep it up," I stress. "You make a girl happy with compliments. Tell her she looks nice, that her hair's really pretty, or that she has lovely eyes. Something like that."

He nods, as if processing this information.

"What about me? Should I compliment Zac?"

"What tell him he has lovely eyes?" he smirks.

I roll my own, "Well, he has."

"That's not the point," he shakes his head, laughing. "What else do you like about him besides his appearance?" he tries a different tact.

"Well, Soraya says he's great to talk to...?" I trail off.

"Soraya! What about you?" he sighs.

I bite down on my bottom lip. "Well, I've only really spoken to him a handful of times," I admit. "That's what I'm worried about, that we'll have nothing to talk about and it'll be awkward."

"Well that's hard to believe, I've had to write down: '_talks too much_' twice in the last hour." He takes out his notepad, and pretends to read it, a smile tugging at his lips. "'_Never stops_', '_blah blah blah_...', oh yes, and '_tragically thinks she's interesting._..'"

I grin, rolling my eyes in amusement, "Stop it. I know you won't believe me, but it really did happen, and I'm petrified it'll happen again. All he wanted to talk about was football— which have I mentioned, I know nothing about."

"Didn't he try to talk about anything else?" he frowns, leaning back in his chair.

"No, and I couldn't think about anything to actually start a conversation with. We just sat there in silence. It was really awkward."

"Sounds like you just didn't have anything in common. I know what you mean, my last date was practically a disaster too."

I smile a little, "Glad to know you're in the 'disaster' category, too."

He chuckles softly, looking up as the waitress places the tray of drinks on the table. "Thanks," he says, returning his eyes to me, taking a sip of his coke. I do the same, before turning my attention to the menu.

We soon decide to share a large pizza, knowing neither of us will be able to eat a whole one by ourselves. Not long after ordering, the waitress places the amazing smelling pizza down in front of us.

"That smells so good," I moan, reaching for a slice. Ty smiles, watching me as I bring the pizza to my mouth. Swallowing my bite, I nod, "Tastes it, too."

He laughs, reaching for a slice himself.

"So, do you have your own horse?" Ty asks, sounding genuinely interested.

I nod, "Spartan." I keep it short, not wanting to bring back all the memories. I turn my eyes to the table, pushing my salad around on my plate.

"How long have you had him?"

"Five years."

Ty goes silent.

Either he's seriously smart or he's choked on a piece of pizza.

Quite frankly, I don't really want it to be either.

I stare down at my plate, my face blank.

"What about Adam?" he asks.

I smile a little, grateful for what he's done. "Minnie, a white mare," I say, looking up, "he's in love," I add, referring to his horse.

He chuckles softly, "Is it me, or is there something fishy going on between him Soraya?"

"Nope, there's definitely something going on there," I grin. I could hug him right now.

"Well, well," an annoying nasal voice tuts from behind me.

My head snaps up and I frown, "Jessica?"

Ty looks positively perplexed opposite me, his eyes darting between Jessica and I.

"Didn't think I'd be seeing _you_ two out together the night before your big dates... sharing pizza, too. How romantic." She raises her eyebrows skeptically, "Is someone not telling me something?"

I told Kate and Elle this morning about Zac and word has obviously got around...

"Dates are very much on," Ty says hastily. "Amy and I just fancied a pizza, that's all."

"Well, it all looks very cosy to me. My mom and I have been sitting over there for a while now, and you've been so busy chatting you haven't even noticed we were here."

There's an awkward pause. Then Ty suddenly looks up and gazes intently at Jessica.

"Has anyone ever told you that you have _really_ beautiful hair..." His eyes lock with hers, "It's such a _lovely _colour."

My mouth has literally hit the floor.

Jessica blushes the colour of beetroot, "Wow, thanks, Ty." She beams at him, but then suddenly remembers I'm here and her face clouds over. She really is quite pretty when she's not scowling. "It's a shame someone else won't get a chance to appreciate it as much as you do." She sniffs and gives me a pointed look, "I better be going. See you, _Ty_."

"What did you do that for?!" I hiss as Jessica returns to her table.

Ty grins, "I was practicing my compliments. And if I do say so myself, RESULT. Thanks, Amy."

"You can't compliment _her_," I argue, fixing him with a glare.

He frowns, his eyes sparkling a little, in a way I know he's teasing me, "Why not?"

"Because!" I say. "And what are you writing now?"

"_Quite spiteful towards other girls,_" he sighs.

I guffaw, a very ladylike thing to do, I assure you. "No, I'm not."

He raises a perfect eyebrow, challenging me, "_Right_."

I narrow my eyes, pushing his hand away and taking the slice of pizza he's aiming for. My fingers are all tingly again, but I'm pushing it to the very back of my mind. He wraps his fingers tightly around my wrist, ceasing all movement, including my breathing, before grinning at me and sliding the pizza from my clutch. He chuckles softly at my agitated look, "It was more of a diversion tactic," he says, eating the pizza smugly.

I sigh dramatically in resignation, reaching over to pick up the pepper grinder, one of those extra large ones you always get in pizza places. I lift it up, only for a load of whole pepper corns to fall out, bouncing off the table. I stare at it shock, my jaw slack.

I look up and meet Ty's eyes. Our eyes move simultaneously to the peppercorns splayed out on the table and back to look at each other. Ty's mouth twitches and it only takes a second before we burst out laughing.

"You've got to be kidding me?" I laugh incredulously, shaking my head in disbelief.

Ty can't stop laughing, and neither can I.

"Did that seriously just happen?" he laughs.

I flick a peppercorn his way, "Of course it did, you big idiot." I grin, trying to defend myself from the flying peppercorn he flicks back.

I flick another one, and another one, until we've decorated the floor around us with peppercorns.

The poor waitresses probably thinks she's hallucinating when she sees the peppercorn adorned floor.

I look around us and back up to Ty. "Oops," I say, as if I only just noticed it.

Ty rolls his eyes, flicking another one my way. This time it hits me right in the nose, making me jump. This, of course, sends Ty into a fit of laughter. What he doesn't know is that the one I send flying back lands right in his hair.

I burst into giggles, somehow managing to knock the salt grinder on its side, spilling the entire contents on the floor. My jaw drops low enough to join it.

I don't think this can get any worse.

"Oh my god!" Ty exclaims, laughing so much he knocks the pizza board flying, consequently catapulting any remaining pizza with it.

_Turns out, I'm wrong._

We're both staring open-mouthed at the huge mess on the floor. My eyes travel upwards only to bug when I see the flustered waitress from earlier, covered in pizza.

Of course, this sends us into another fit of laughter.

-:-

We stumble down the path to the cabin later, still gasping for air as we recall the entire situation. The door flies open, revealing Adam and a rather expectant Soraya.

"So?" she asks. "How'd it go?"

We look at each other for a second before looking shyly back to Soraya, feeling like two guilty school children about to get very told off by their teacher. She looks at us expectantly, "Well?"

"We got kicked out," is all we manage to say before we burst out laughing all over again.

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**Marie's review of this chapter: ****_Naughty, naughty, children. . . _****;)**

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**Thoughts? Did you find it as funny as I did? ;)**

**This chapter was nice and long, too.**

**Let me know what you think!**

**~wildatheart~**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14! Hope you enjoyed the last chapter! This is Amy's date with Zac, but don't worry, a certain green-eyed boy worms his way in. ;)**

**Thank you so much for all your reviews! I'm glad you found it as funny as I did! ;)**

**ENJOY!**

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I spin the fork around on the table, tapping a little tune out with my forefingers. I twist my lips, looking around the restaurant, not sure what to do with myself.

Fortunately for me, Zac has chosen a different pizza place. I say fortunately, because I'm not entirely sure if Ty and I are actually allowed back into the other one.

It's a shame; this particular restaurant hasn't quite got the same level of charm. The painted red walls are slightly peeling at the edges and the booths are ripped with age. I'd like to say this is the reason this date is going so horribly wrong, but I don't think I can.

He arrived six-thirty on the dot, waiting outside our door looking as gorgeous as ever. It was at that moment I was almost positive that he is my Western Dream boy.

An hour in, I am a ninety-nine point nine percent sure he is most definitely not.

It's practically topped my disastrous date.

This has officially giving a whole new meaning to the word awkward.

I mean, yes, I was probably flat on my back on the ice this time yesterday, but at least I was having fun. I was laughing and joking about with Ty about my horrendous skating skills, or lack of, for a lack of better word. A smile pulls at my lips just thinking about it.

But right now, I may as well be twiddling my thumbs, it's so awkward.

A waiter, male this time, and considerably less rushed off his feet than the waitress from yesterday— I'm not sure if that's because we're slightly earlier in eating, or the fact this particular restaurant doesn't see many customers —hovers by our table.

"Drinks?"

I skim the menu, trying to find an answer to his one-word-question.

I stick with water; I don't really fancy coke.

He moves onto Zac who replies with: "Coke."

He smiles at me, "So how's your workshop going?"

"It's good," I nod. "You?"

"Yeah, mine's good, too," he says.

I nod again, "Right," feeling at loss of what to say. "So...? Do you have a horse?" I ask, knowing I won't be so sensitive when he asks me; Zac doesn't know anything.

He grins, "Yes," he nods, "a bay mare. You?"

"Yes, a black gelding."

The waiter returns with the drinks, and I'm able to breathe again.

I sip tentatively at my water, staring down at the empty bowl he passes us.

"You can go up and get your salads, now," he informs us.

"Oh, okay," I rise to my feet, glad to have something to do. I cup the bowl in my hands, slipping through the maze of tables to get to the round salad stand.

I stare at the colourful salads, mulling over which ones to choose. I glance opposite me at Zac who's created a wall around his bowl with cucumber and is currently piling up a mound of salad inside it. I raise an eyebrow incredulously, but choose not to comment.

In the end, I opt for your average salad; taking a long time to make it, before walking slowly back to our table.

If you haven't yet noticed, I'm stalling.

"So what do you like to do?" he asks, swallowing a bite of salad.

"I like to ride, that's my main hobby," I say, reaching for my drink before I choke on a piece of lettuce. "What about you, do you Show Jump or do Cross-Country like in your workshop?" I add after I'm confident I won't stop breathing at any given moment.

"Cross-Country, mostly. I did a bit of show jumping when I was younger, but I never really liked the whole pristine appearance and pressure of it. Out on the course, it's just me and my horse."

I nod, it appears we're at least getting _somewhere_, even if his previous statement did in fact rhyme.

"I know what you mean," I say, spearing a tomato. "That's the reason I ride, I love the connection you have with a horse that you could never have with a human."

Is it me, or does it feel like I'm part of some experiment to prove said fact?

As I continue to eat my salad, I soon realise that's just about the longest conversation we're going to have.

The date rolls on and I become increasingly bored. I don't get it, what makes a date so awkward? Originally, I assumed it's all down to the people. But after the practice date with Ty, I'm beginning to think it's something else. Is it the pressure of knowing it's a real date? Maybe it's the fact I don't really know him? But then again, isn't that what dates are for? Getting to know someone?

I know I'm over thinking, and I know it's not good for me, but this particular question is bugging me like there's no tomorrow.

Soon the waiter appears to take our orders for desert.

I bite down on lip, scanning over my menu. This is a problem; Ty and I didn't quite reach desserts. . .

_Dairy Ice Cream _—your typical desert.

_Apple Pie _—a very tasty, sweet-smelling pie, but slightly fattening.

_Chocolate_/_Strawberry Cheesecake _—again, very tasty, but very fattening.

Do I appear plain or greedy?

I glance up, only to see Zac waiting patiently and the waiter hovering expectantly.

"Apple pie, please," I say. Don't say a word; who cares whether he thinks I'm fat; I'm clearly not.

We eat our deserts with very few words passed. It's got to a point, where I just want to go home. Zac's a great guy, it's just we don't quite click.

As we climb up the steps to the porch later, I'm beginning to dread the kiss_._ Coming to a stop by the door, we thank each other for the night, although not because we exactly enjoyed it, more due the fact we generally like the other as a person.

He leans in and lightly presses his lips to mine. The kiss is, well, flat, and quickly ends.

I smile awkwardly, pushing the key in the lock. He nods as if he acknowledges something, and smiles a little back.

"Bye, Zac," I say and give a small smile.

"Bye, Amy," he says.

I can see Ty and Kit coming up the drive, chatting away. Something stirs in the pit of my stomach again, and I hastily close the door.

I walk relatively quickly to Soraya and I's bedroom, throwing myself on the bed and groaning out loud.

What I don't realise, is that Soraya's sitting on the bed beside me.

"Maybe you really were the ping-pong ball," she says, making my eyes bug into the pillow.

I sit up, slowing turning to look at her, "Huh?"

"Jessica was hitting that damn ball like it was your head," she says casually, a smile tugging at her lips, showing an uncanny resemblance to her brother. I tend to forget she's Ty's twin.

I look at her incredulously, "Seriously?"

She laughs, her green eyes shining with amusement, "Yep, it was brutal." She's sitting cross-legged on her bed, dressed in her pajamas.

"Well, I don't know why she's so jealous," I sigh, climbing from my bed and walking over to the closet, a good part of me not wanting to witness her reaction.

I hold my pajamas up in front of me and give her a little smile, "I'm gonna go change."

She was frowning, I just know, but she's covered it up well. She nods, smiling but it doesn't quite reach her eyes, "Okay."

I'm not going to lie; I'm stalling as I change. It's only the knowledge that I've stalled way too much this evening alone, that makes me walk out.

Soraya's hugging a cushion in her lap as I walk in. She throws me one and orders: "Sit."

I do, mirroring her position, only because for some warped reason, I feel like I owe her; there's this part of my brain that connects her to Ty.

"Spare nothing," she orders, looking at me straight on. "And I promise you, it'll help."

I bite down on my lip, something I do when I'm nervous, before nodding slowly, hugging the cushion tight to my chest. I smile a little, meeting her eye, "It was awful," I laugh, cringing.

She smiles knowingly, "You didn't get kicked out this time, did you?"

I roll my eyes, a smile creeping on my face just thinking about it. "No," I laugh, pulling at the hem of my top. "No, it was worse than that."

I tell her everything, and she listens.

And she was right; I do feel better, especially when the boys pop their heads in a little while later.

"Night, girls," Ty says, rolling his eyes as Adam appears above him and says exactly the same thing.

Soraya and I laugh, and then we throw our pillows at their heads.

They duck, rolling their eyes. Adam nods to Ty, and in one weird simultaneous move, they unleash their secret weapons.

They brought pillows.

And . . . cue pillow fight.

We're all laughing, beating each other to pulp, and unsurprisingly enjoying it. I mean, who would pass up a chance to beat boys to a pulp?

We've managed to pin both boys down on the floor, giggling at our idiocy. I've got Ty, and Soraya's got Adam. I think our excuse for this is the fact our twin's probably know us well enough to undermine us. They're both rolling their eyes, but smiling never the less.

But then they suddenly look at each other and grin. This is when we start to worry.

This worrying only lasts a few seconds because we suddenly find ourselves in reversed positions, being tickled mercifully by the boys. I curl up in a fetal position, trying anything to protect myself while laughing uncontrollably.

Fortunately for Soraya and I, the boys do finally cease their tickling sometime later, and we collapse with relief.

They roll over onto their backs so we're all laying side-by-side on the floor, grinning from ear to ear, the boys high-fiving in between us.

And when Soraya and I finally shoo the boys out an hour later, we climb into bed smiling happily. I fall to sleep with a warm fuzzy feeling inside me.

I believe it's called happiness.

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**Aww****, sweet. Thoughts?**

**Please review! I'd love to know what you all think! To those of you who already do, thank you so much, you always make me smile. ;)**

**~wildatheart~**


	15. Chapter 15

**Thank you for all your reviews! A nice long chapter for you as a thank you. ;****)**

**ENJOY!**

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It's Saturday, three days till Christmas, and Sophia has arranged for us to go riding. No five mile an hour trotting, no lousy tour guide, just a horse and the great outdoors.

It's freezing, granted, but the air is crisp and bright, and when I breathe out, white vapour billows like smoke.

I'm given the choice of two horses: a black gelding and a chestnut mare, both of which are quarter horses.

I choose the black gelding called Star, because there's something about him that reminds me of Spartan. And it's not just the fact they look very similar, no, it's something in his eyes— trust.

My dad is riding a palomino called Dusty, sitting nervously in his saddle; it's been a long time since he's ventured back up there again.

Sophia is sitting high on a Skewbald named Daisy, and her husband is currently on a brown quarter horse called Max.

Little Marie is on a small dapple-grey pony called Snowdrop, smiling happily at us all as she stands between her sister, of whom is riding a grey horse named Coast, and her brother, who is sitting high astride a white horse called Phoenix.

My brother's sitting impatiently astride a young chestnut gelding called Red.

"Are we all ready?" Sophia calls, scanning our little gathering. We all nod, smiling eagerly. She grins, "Great, let's go!"

With that, we all slowly file out the yard, falling into single file as we follow the path. Soraya and Marie head for the front along with my brother, while I fall back to second from last place. Sophia leads the way while my dad and Martin chat away in front of me. Ty's in last place, behind me, looking deep in thought.

The path soon opens out into a large field, and we drop out of order, walking at whatever pace we like.

There's something about Ty's face that looks like he's got something on his mind. But I know I mustn't over think, so I don't.

The fields sprawl out of miles around, the entire landscape covered in a thick blanket of snow. As we travel further, you can just start to see the little wooden cabins.

I gently run my fingers through Star's mane, breathing in his sweet smell. Along with the cold air, everything smells so refreshing, yet comforting at the same time. I press two fingers to his wither's and start to apply T-Touch, just like Amber taught us.

I glance around at everyone, taking in the hum of their happy words. My mind drifts back to when I first got here, to the friends I've made, and to the happy moments I've come to treasure. I laugh a little to myself, thinking back to last night and our crazy pillow fight. But then I sigh, thinking back to an hour or so before that and my second disastrous date of this month.

"What're you thinking so hard about?" Ty asks, smiling at me as he comes up beside Star.

"Nothing," I give a small smile, glancing at him.

"I don't believe you," he states knowingly.

"I don't think I believe myself," I let out a short laugh, looking forward once again.

I can _just_ about see his mouth twitch.

"So, how did your date go last night?"

His voice is off.

I bite down on my lip, staring forward. "How was yours?" I ask instead.

"Okay," he says.

I frown, turning around, "Okay?"

"Yeah," he shrugs, "okay."

We're silent for a moment or two before he says: "So, are you gonna tell me how your date went or am I going to have to tickle it out of you?" He smirks and I smile a little.

"You really wanna know?" I sigh.

He nods seriously, "Yes."

I face forward, cringing, "Well," I draw a deep breath, "you're gonna have to catch me first!" I sing, kicking Star into action, laughing happily.

I can just see him rolling his eyes as he laughs, coming up behind me. "Amy...!" he states sternly, though I can tell he's smiling at the same time. I just giggle childishly, grinning from ear to ear.

"You're never gonna catch me," I taunt in a singsong voice, giggling as I watch him narrow his eyes.

"Oh, yes I am," he sings in an equally annoying tone.

I circle Star in canter, narrowly avoiding Ty's rope. It appears he's become desperate and has taken to trying to rope me. He follows straight behind me, only a meter or two difference between our two horses.

His rope whips through the air again and I squeal as it wraps around my center, slowing Star down in surrender.

He smirks, walking towards me. "I'm always right."

I laugh, "And you have to prove that by roping me?"

"It was only way," he says, grinning.

I suddenly catch Marie out of the corner of my eye, and whip round to see her staring at us with one raised eyebrow.

She holds up her hands, kicking her pony into trot, "I'm sorry!"

We do eventually reach our destination: a little café in the forest. Complete with a stable block and hay, it has everything.

Tapping my finger on the counter, I twist my lips impatiently. A young girl finally appears with my hot chocolate, and I sip at it eagerly. Cupping the mug in my hands to warm up, I make my way back to our little gathering on a small set of sofas. I curl up on the seat besides my brother, feeling exhausted; after catching me, Ty attempted to teach me how to rope. Let's just say, I won't be winning any buckles anytime soon.

Ty is having a great time telling his sister said fact. I roll my eyes, sipping at my hot chocolate as he rambles away. Adam kicks his feet up on a little stall, looking at me like he knows something I don't.

I have no time to contemplate this as Marie suddenly appears between us, sitting in my lap. She's relatively small for her age and is able to cross her legs quite comfortably.

She leans back against my chest, her light brown hair just reaching below my chin.

"Can I draw a picture of you one day, Amy?" she looks up, meeting my eyes, her face upside-down to me.

I smile, "Of course, I'd be honoured."

She grins, "Great."

Several hours later, we're back in the cosy confinement of our cabin, curled up in separate armchairs. Marie's in the midst of a hotly contented game of snap with her brother, while Soraya is simply curled up on the sofa, watching them with a soft smile on her face. Adam's beside her, mirroring her expression. I run my finger over my mom's journal, reading the scribbled notes with a smile tugging at my lips. I'm looking at it to try and find something to help me with the workshop.

My blue roan, who I've yet to decide on a name, is making great progress. With a lot of patience, I was able to put a halter on him. And while I really feel like I'm getting somewhere, there's something invading my mind every time I work. It doesn't help that the problem's only a short way away.

After reading a short entry concerning trust and how it can be built up with a consistent use of T-Touch, I rise from my place in the armchair and return the journal to my case. Grabbing my coat, I wrap it around me and pop my head in the living room once again. "I'm just gonna head down to the stables."

No one objects, so I pull on my boots, and leave through the door.

Whenever I start to over think, I get away. It's much easier to obsess over a situation when it's right in front of me, so amusing myself with something else tends to help.

I slip into the stable, rubbing my hands to warm up after walking outside. It's relatively late in the evening, around seven, so it's pitch black, with only the stars and the moon shining above.

Horses always calm me down; they have this nature about them that makes you smile. I click open the stall door to Star's stall, placing myself in the corner. It didn't occur to me that my blue roan wouldn't be here; I forgot he lives outside. So I opted of Star. He's laying down, his front legs curled up in front of him. "Hey, boy," I coo softly, reaching out and running my fingers through his forelock. He sighs heavily, resting his head back down on the straw.

I'd always find my mom out in the stable. She'd sleep there all night, curled up in the straw with a horse hovering over her. I always imagined they were protecting her, guarding her with their body.

I started to do the same six months or so after she died. It was my escape, and still is. There's something extremely comforting about the smell of horses, the straw, the hay, and the horse itself. I grew up around them, and they've always been part of my life. We used to own a ranch, much smaller than this one, and my mom used to do what Amber does; help abused horses. But after she died, we were unable to keep it going, hence the reason we now live in the middle of a city.

We've slowly got more money, and we're in a much better place because of it. Dad wants to move, he just doesn't know where.

I smile softly as I run T-Touch over Star's forehead, letting my mind fill with the scent of the stable.

"I thought I'd find you here," the voice made me jump, and smile, all at the same time.

I look up, "And why's that?"

"You told us?" they smile, amusement shining in their eyes.

They slip into the stall, falling to the floor opposite me, bending their legs in front of them.

"Marie won," they smile.

I laugh, "She had that one in the bag."

They roll their eyes, twirling a piece of straw around their finger. We're silent for a moment or two, but as always, it's comfortable. I continue to stroke Star, feeling myself relaxing more and more as the time goes on.

"I knew your mom," he says quietly.

My head snaps up, but my lips stay quiet.

"When I was ten, my horse, Harley, went crazy. We didn't know why, and it left me crushed. I thought I was going to lose him," he admits, staring at the floor. "We tried everything, and time and time again, he just got worse. So my dad, as a last resort, he called your mom."

This is his way of saying he trusts me, I just know. I opened up to him, and now, now he's opening up to me.

"My mom wasn't sure," he continues, "but she went along with it." He pauses, staring intently at the piece of straw between his forefinger and thumb. "So your mom came," he smiles a little, almost as if remembering, "and on my eleventh birthday, she fixed Harley."

"I remember," I say softly, staring at the horse in front of me. "The four year old brown gelding, whose feed, was drugged." I glance up and he nods, still rubbing the straw between his finger.

"To this day, we still don't know who did it." He looks up and smiles at me, "Your mom, though, was an amazing woman, and I owe her so much. That was the best birthday present I've ever had: getting my horseback. Because the thing is, he isn't just a horse; he's my best friend, my rock. And it'd killed me to see him go." He looks choked up just thinking about, and all I want to do is hug him. But I can't; that's Kit's job.

The thought's like a punch in my gut.

I smile a little, trying to comfort him from afar. He smiles back, and again, we fall into a comfortable silence.

Until he says: "I caught you, but you never told me about your date."

My lips twitch but remain firmly shut.

"So..." he says, "I'm guessing I'm going to have to tickle you."

My eyes bug as he comes closer, his hands held up in front of him.

"You wouldn't..." I say, narrowing my eyes.

He smirks, his eyes glistening, "Maybe I would. . ."

He's only a foot away now, and I must admit, he's definitely invading my personal bubble. I refuse to appear weak and sit stock still.

He raises an eyebrow, "Still not going to tell me?"

I mash my lips together for more reasons than one, and raise my own brow in challenge.

And with that, he attacks, and I'm left laughing uncontrollably as my favourite crooked smile curls at his lips.

"Still not gonna tell me?" he repeats. I shake my head, refusing to back down.

"No!" I giggle, bending over in laughter. "No! No! Please!" I beg, curling up into a fetal position.

He smiles in amusement, "Still not gonna tell me?"

"No!"

And so he continues. And even though I'm being tickled to death, I don't really mind, because it's Ty.

Thing is, I've been so oblivious all along. My Western Dream boy is not Zac. In fact, he's closer, much closer than I thought. The truth that is so damn hard to accept, is simple really: I am absolutely crazy about the green eyed boy tickling me. Ego Head, Picture Boy - whatever you want to call him - I'm crazy about him, completely and utterly obsessed.

It's just, I didn't actually realise it until a moment ago.

And of course, just because I've realised this, doesn't make him fall for me, too.

What I forget is, he's got Kit. And he's happy with her. She likes him, and most importantly, he likes her back.

So I'm left, stuck here alone, falling for someone that most definitely does not love me back, and the worse thing is, I can't do a donkeys thing about it.

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**Thoughts? Poor Amy. . . :(**

**Reviews? What do you think about Picture Boy? Do you have your own name? Let me know, I'd love to hear them! ;)**

**~wildatheart~**


	16. Chapter 16

**Thank you for your reviews! Keep them coming!**

**ENJOY!**

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I've decided to try to work on things with Zac, it's for the best really; that way my stupid, stupid, crush on Ty will go away and everything can go back to normal.

Problem is: I haven't quite got the courage to carry out said plan.

I walk into the kitchen, tying my hair up as I go, only to find Kit sitting at our breakfast table, flirting with none of other than Ty. She grabs his toast, popping it in her mouth, giggling when he tries to grab it back.

This, of course, is all very wonderful.

She looks up and smiles at me as I grab the orange juice carton rather forcefully from the fridge, "Hey, Amy," she says cheerfully.

"Hi," I say shortly back.

"I thought I'd join you early this morning; that way we can get an early start with the horses," she says, though I'm only half listening. I nod; because I know whatever she's saying will most definitely be awesome.

Marie's watching me with narrowed eyes, but I shrug her off, sitting down beside the most amazing couple in the whole-wide-world.

Just as I finish my toast, she stands up quickly, making me jump, "I'll grab my coat."

Ty smiles at her, obviously thinking this is as awesome as I do.

I am aware that I'm going slightly insane, but this is what jealousy does to you. It's like a sickness.

Ty rises too, smiling down at me, making my insides go all mushy. They always have done, it's just I've become accustomed to ignoring it.

"I'm gonna go, too, you coming?" he asks, draining his apple juice.

This is all very wonderful, so obviously, I shake my head; I'm going to be ill.

"Oh," he frowns, looking strangely disappointed."Why not?"

I shrug, "I guess I don't feel that well."

He nods slowly, and gives me a small smile. "Joey's going to miss you." Of course he is.

"I'll check on him later," I say quickly, pushing our late night conversation to the back of my mind, along with the tugging smile that comes with it.

He smiles a little, "Okay, well I hope you feel better."

I nod.

Showing concern is perfectly normal between friends.

They soon leave, along with Soraya, who nods understandingly when I tell her I'm staying home. I'm left with a very suspicious Marie. My whole demeanor practically screams: _please don't ask._

She doesn't move, instead, she just takes a bite out of her apple, and watches me go. It's quite freaky really.

I reach my bedroom door, only to be stopped by Sophia, "Hey, Amy," she smiles. I freeze, like I've been caught in the act and am about to be pulled up on it. "I'm planning to do some last-minute shopping later, if you're feeling better, you're welcome to come."

I smile, happy that I'm not going to have to sit around all day pretending to be ill. "Yeah, that'd be great," I say in reply, glad she wasn't planning to reprimand me like I originally thought.

"Good," she says, "I've got to drop Marie off, and speak to Lou about something, but I'll only be an hour or so."

I smile, "Okay, don't worry, I'll be ready."

She nods, ushering Marie out the door before pulling it shut. Both the men are out on some cowboy experience and everyone else is at the workshop. So I'm alone.

I sigh and land backwards on my bed, grabbing a pillow and sticking it over my head. Why does love have to be so complicated? Why can't it be simple like in all the movies and books?

_Ugh._

Being ill is seriously boring, I tell you.

I lift the pillow off my face and stare blankly at the ceiling. It's relatively high and shaped like a roof. It's made of wood and actually adds to the charm of the place.

I sit up with a grunt, I need to seriously stop feeling so sorry for myself and do something productive.

Like cook brownies.

You'll catch up at one point; my mind is kind of strange.

I stroll down the hallway to the kitchen, pulling open the cupboards, searching for the required ingredients. Grinning in happiness, my mood swinging in the right direction all of a sudden, I set to work on whisking up a batch of very tasty brownies. They smell great, if I do say so myself.

An hour later, after successfully eating four very yummy brownies— which doesn't exactly fit well with my _feeling ill_ façade —I sit at the kitchen table, drumming my fingers on the wooden surface, bored.

Luckily for me, Sophia bursts in not long later. "You all set?" she asks cheerfully. Before frowning, "Sorry, I mean, do you feel better?"

I laugh, "Much. And yes."

She nods. Grinning, she says, "Come on then, let's go."

After spending the following three hours with Sophia, I soon discover she loves a good gossip, hence the reason she has somehow pried a certain topic out of me: disastrous dates.

It takes some convincing, but I eventually cave.

"I just don't get it," I shrug, pouting, flicking through a rack full of tops with Soraya in mind.

We're in a little store in Hudson, just five minutes away from Heartland. We've been shopping for two hours now, and so far I've managed to get: a wooden friendship bracelet, with writing inscribed on one of the larger beads that says: _Christmas 2013_, for Marie. I know she'll love it; she has a thing for things like this. I also have bought a large box of chocolates for my dad, knowing there's nothing he'll love more; and a cooking book for Sophia I managed to sneakily buy when she wasn't looking; she was rattling on about it last night, so I know she'll love it. For her husband, after consulting Sophia, I bought him a box of chocolates, too. Since we've become rather close with the Hale sisters, Kate and Elle, I grabbed them something, too.

To add to the list, I just spotted_ the _perfect top for Soraya.

"Well, it seems you just didn't click," Sophia concludes, nodding eagerly as I hold up my recent find.

Placing the top quickly into the basket, I move onto the next rack, just browsing now. Biting my lip, I ask: "What would you do if you _did_ find someone you click with?" I try to act casual, but I know she can see right through me.

She eyes me carefully, walking up beside me and proceeding to flick through the same rack. "I'd try to catch his eye," she says after a moment of pause.

"But what if he was out of reach?" I add, scraping dangerously close to the real thing.

"I'd fight for him," she says, pausing briefly on a certain top before continuing with her flicking. "That's how I got Martin, anyway," she laughs.

"And how did you do that?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

She smiles a little, as if remembering.

I continue with my questioning, and not once, does she ask why.

After three hours worth of shopping, Sophia has finally bought all of her Christmas presents, and I, however, am still stuck on what to buy a certain green-eyed boy.

Deciding I'll hopefully find something between now and Christmas, I head for the till, only to grin in happiness when I spot the perfect present: a notebook. It's leather, and bound tightly with soft leather ties. I love it. Flicking through the cream pages, I know he'll be able to write his music in it.

Placing the notebook on the top of the pile, I smile pleasantly at the shop assistant, feeling a whole lot better than I did three hours ago.

The girl smiles kindly at me, carefully passing me my bag.

"Thanks," I say politely.

She smiles amiably, "You're welcome."

I walk out the shop besides Sophia, feeling a lot less like wallowing, and a lot more like facing the music.

"Amy?" a chirpy voice calls.

_Well_, sort of, anyway.

* * *

**Little cliffy there, *Grins mischievously*.**

**Please review and let me know what you think? How would you feel talking to your crush's mother about your crush?**

**AND, who do you think it is?!**

**Guess away!**

**~wildatheart~**


	17. Chapter 17

**Very long chapter!**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

"Hi, Jessica," I say pleasantly, walking briskly towards the exit, having no intention whatsoever of stopping. Sophia's eyeing me carefully, though I'm praying she's got the picture.

She comes up beside me, smiling sweetly, "So, how was your date with Zac?"

I know she's not going to be painfully spiteful due to Sophia's presence, so I just smile, and lie through my teeth, "It was great, thanks."

Her eyes flicker to Sophia, and I can tell she's literally biting back words. "I'm happy for you," she says uncharacteristically.

I give a short smile back and say, "Well, we've got to go."

She nods, smiling sweetly at Sophia. "Of course."

As we walk out, Sophia doesn't utter a word and I slip into the car gratefully.

-:-

"Well, you certainly weren't missed," Adam says as I enter the living room later.

"Thanks," I laugh sarcastically, watching a beautiful crooked smile curl at Ty's lips, his eyes closed peacefully.

"No, seriously," he continues, "Kate had to practically pry Jessica away from him."

Soraya laughs, "It was hilarious; she kept whining, _Zaaaac, Zaaaaac!_"

I raise an eyebrow, plonking down in a free armchair and curling my legs up underneath me, surveying the room.

Marie is sprawled out on the floor on her stomach, playing about with her brother's hair, who is laying on his back with his legs bent in front of him.. Something stirs in the pit of my stomach again and I look away, feeling rather jealous of the little girl.

Soraya and Adam are sitting comfortably at opposite ends of the sofa, both their legs bent in the centre.

"So, any good gossip?" I ask Soraya, leaning back in my chair. Ty's eyes flicker open at the sound of my voice.

She nods, grinning, "Yeah, have you heard about the camp fire they're doing on Christmas eve?"

I shake my head, grabbing the cushion from behind me and clutching it to my chest, resting my head on its soft material. "No, it sounds fun," I smile.

She nods happily, "Everyone's doing an act," she says, looking around the room, "we've got to do something."

We all grin, and I lean forward in the chair.

"I'll play my guitar," Ty says eventually.

Marie nods beside him, "And I'll sing."

"Great," Soraya says, adding: "I might do some magic tricks." She turns to us, "What about you two?" she asks referring to Adam and I.

I shrug, "I'll think about it."

Adam glances at Soraya, "I guess I could maybe be your helpful assistant?" he asks hopefully, dragging out the words pleadingly.

She laughs at his pout, nodding, "Of course."

He grins like Christmas has come early this year. Two days early to be exact: tomorrow's Christmas Eve. Happiness floods through me and I grin, too; I love Christmas.

-:-

I climb into bed tonight, my mind whirring incessantly. I try to sleep but all I can do is worry. This is why I shouldn't over think: I panic.

But I can't stop it; all I can think about is Ty. His green eyes, his devilish smirk and how happy he makes me just by smiling.

My fingers twist my cover tightly as I fight my thoughts.

_His laugh. . . His smile. . . His ridiculous attitude. . ._

But all these thoughts are marred with the fact he's taken. By Kit.

Gripping at my cover, I clench my eyes shut, trying to will myself to sleep.

But all I can think about is him.

Is this what love does to you? It's like an obsession, an addiction.

Why can't I forget about him?

Why is he constantly in my thoughts?

Why the hell did I have to fall for _him_?!

Of all people, why do I have to love _him_?!

He's an egotistical, smirking, green-eyed, ego head, but for some twisted, messed up reason, I'm head over heels in love with him.

When I first met him, he was an idiot. I hated him from word go; he practically attacked me, swore me to secrecy over the fact he took a photo of us without our permission, he embarrassed me in front of everyone, he is sarcastic, egotistical, and mocks me at any given chance, he laughs at my expense, he's arrogant and will always get his own way, but. . . I still love him.

Can you see just how messed up this is?

But as much as I hate to admit it, he can be kind. He listens to me, and I trust him with just about everything I tell him. He's funny, and a great person to talk to. He somehow understands my twisted way of thinking, and he's pretty much as insane as I am. He laughs alongside me when we get kicked out of a restaurant, and agrees to stupid things like childish bets. He doesn't even question my insanity when I ask him whether bees are soft.

Even though I'm _sure _the cons weigh out the pros, I still love him.

Almost two hours later, I fall unconscious, drowning out my thoughts with sleep.

I slip into a dream, a dream I've had only a select few times. And this dream _never _ends well.

_I wring my hands together anxiously as I stare out the window, watching as the rain thrashes against the glass. Thunder rolls in the distance, and I bite down hard on my lip in worry._

_My mom sighs beside me, placing a comforting hand over mine. "Amy, we'll be fine," she assures me softly._

_I nod, trying to believe her. But I can't; there's this horrible feeling in the pit of stomach. It churns painfully as another crack of lightning whips through the pitch-black sky._

_"What's on your mind?" she asks, glancing at me as we continue to drive down the road._

_"Nothing," I say quickly._

_"Amy," she says in a stern tone, telling me she knows it's anything but._

_I sigh, clenching my eyes shut, "Mom," I say wearily, only seeing him. "I love him."_

_She nods, "I know you do, dear."_

_"But he can't love me," I cry frustrated, banging my hand on the truck door, suddenly so angry._

_She stays still, staring forward. "Maybe he does," she says after a moment of pause. _

_"No, he doesn't," I say adamantly, gripping my coat in anger. "You don't understand," I persist._

_"Yes, I do," she says softly, her tone unchanging._

_"No, you don't!" I cry out, anger boiling within me. I'm so frustrated, so angry with the world. "YOU KNOW NOTHING!" I scream, tears burning in my eyes._

_She doesn't even flinch, "Amy..."_

_"NO!" I yell in pure anger._

_And then, like always, the thunder rolls dangerously above, and all I see is a single tear rolling slowly down her face as she sits stock still like a statue. The truck swerves, and in seconds she's thrown into the hands of death. And I see it all, in a painful, stomach twisting, slow motion._

I wake up with a scream, physically shaking as tears stream down my face. It's the same every time, she always dies, and I'm always the reason why.

Soraya rushes over, "Amy?" she cries, her eyes full of worry. I continue to cry, my vision beginning to become blurred.

The door bursts open and Adam flies in, quick to wrap his arms around me. "Shh, it's okay," he assures me, holding me tightly as if I could break at any given moment. "Ames," he says, gripping my shoulders as I cry. I'm still shaking, racked with the image of my mom dying. "Look at me," he orders.

I sob my vision blurring.

"Ames, it's going to be okay," he promises, holding me as I cry relentlessly into his shoulder.

"Is she okay?" a worried voice asks from the corner.

Adam's eyes dart his way and he nods, before looking back down at me.

"Shhhh," he whispers, comforting me. "Everything's going to be okay," he continues. "It wasn't your fault."

Sobs rack my body as I cling to him, holding onto my brother for dear life. I bury my head in his chest, my fresh tears soaking his top.

He rubs my back, hugging me tightly. "Shhh," he whispers, "You're okay."

I try to believe him, but I can't. I never can.

It takes a long time for my tears to subside, and the entire time Adam stays beside me, holding me tightly.

It's happened five times since my mom's death, and it's always because I over think. It makes me ill, and I wake up screaming in anguish.

But he's always here, and I love him for that.

I hug him tightly, "Thank you."

He smiles a little into my shoulder, squeezing me gently. "Don't thank me."

I glance to the corner, focusing on the boy on the floor. His knees are bent against his chest, with his arms wrapped tightly around him, almost as if he's holding himself together— something I don't understand. His head is buried in the crook of his knees, but he looks up, as if sensing I'm looking.

I smile weakly his way, clutching at my brother.

He smiles a little in return, but he looks pained.

As much as he worries me, even in my horrible state, I force myself to look away and turn to Soraya.

She's sitting up in her bed, her cover twisted around her. She smiles reassuringly, but I can only give a watery smile in return.

Eventually, around two in the morning, I slip back to sleep, and Adam and Ty leave. I can tell Soraya's watching me, and I feel comforted by the fact she cares.

I turn on my side, and thankfully fall into a dreamless sleep.

-:-

Soraya and I wake up the next morning to an incessant series of banging on our bedroom door. The loud thumping is accompanied by a voice, and this voice, it shouts, "It's Christmas Eve! Still time for last-minute shopping!"

We sit up with a start, grinning happily at the prospect of the day. As Marie graciously pointed out, it's Christmas Eve! Our workshop finishes early today, so we can prepare for the camp fire.

The thumping is relentless, so I climb out of bed, untangling my legs from the various sheets, and proceed to yank open the door, to be met by a very happy Marie.

Her grin's infectious and I soon find myself smiling like an idiot. She laughs softly, waving me back inside the room. "Go, go get changed," she says, "that bed head look is _not_ working for you."

I laugh carelessly, quick to oblige; thanks to my little episode last night, I look awful.

After breakfast, Ty, Soraya, and Adam and I, make our way up the familiar path to the top field where, as always, we find our beautiful mustangs. They're nibbling contentedly at tufts of green dotting the crisp white landscape. I can feel them all watching me carefully, Ty especially, and I know I should be annoyed, but for some reason, I'm not. And instead, I feel loved.

As usual, Amber is waiting for us astride the gate, a collection of halters in her hand. We take one each, filing into the field behind several others. I soon spot Joey— I've named him now, if you haven't already guessed. It was one of the many topics spoke about between Ty and I as part of our late night conversation.

The blue roan's ears twitch in curiosity as he grazes, the right one flickering to me. He watches me warily as I approach, pausing in his grazing to take a glance at me. After a few seconds, though, he drops his head once again as continues to nibble at the short tufts of grass.

"Hey, Joey," I coo softly, running my fingers gently through his forelock. He butts me playfully with his nose, lipping at my coat pocket. I laugh softly, pressing my fingers in T-Touch just above his eyes. He drops his head in content, letting out a soft sigh. For a once completely wild mustang, his demeanour is more that of a calm well-trained pony.

Ten minutes later, I have slipped on his halter with only a little protest on Joey's part. I run my finger under the strap, holding his head up, reaching for the lead rope besides me on the fence. I clip it on in seconds without a fight. Rubbing T-Touch across his forehead, I cluck softly under my breath, "Come on, Joey," I say quietly, tugging ever so gently at his lead rope. He takes a rushed step forward, turning his eyes away from me. I tug again, stepping forwards myself. He follows a foot or two behind.

After a few more steps, I give him a big pat on his neck, "Good, boy, Joey. _Good_, boy."

I pull out a treat from my left pocket, holding out an open palm. He nibbles at it hurriedly, almost as if he's worried I'll take it away. I chuckle softly, scratching his neck, appraising.

"Looks like you've made a lot of progress," a voice says behind me.

I laugh, smiling to myself, "I hope so, Amber."

She smiles, patting his neck gently. "So, what's he called?" she asks curiously.

"Joey," I grin. "He's such a good boy," I say happily, continuing to pat him affectionately.

She laughs, "He certainly is." She twists her lips in thought for a moment before looking straight at me and saying, "Would you like to try Join-Up?"

I nod eagerly, "Yeah, that'd be great."

Amber smiles, "Follow me."

I lead Joey out the gate and back down the trail beside Amber, and I can't help but feel a certain pair of eyes watching me as I go. She takes me to a round pen, holding open the gate as I slip in.

"Remember what I told you," she says, bolting the gate shut. I watch out of the corner of my eye as she climbs skilfully up the gate.

I nod, concentrating hard on the task at hand. I used to watch Mom do this when I was younger. I always held a fascination for it, I just never had the chance to learn the steps.

Recalling her instructions in my mind, I slip off Joey's halter, taking the lead rope with it. I discard the halter quickly onto the ground, but keep hold of the lead rope. Running my fingers through his forelock, I take a big deep breath.

"Now, send him out," Amber calls, nodding encouragingly when I hesitate.

Biting down on my lip, I fix my stance, sending him out to the gate. He snorts in surprise, his hooves pounding across the ground as he rushes away from me. He completes a full circuit before he starts to slow.

"Keep him moving," Amber shouts.

My brow furrows in concentration, and I lash out with the lead rope. He picks up his pace, cantering frantically around the pen.

"Turn him!"

I lock my shoulders, throwing up my arms. I smile a little when he spins on his haunches, snorting in surprise.

"Good," Amber appraises, but I'm only half listening, my thoughts firmly fixed on Joey.

Circuit after circuit, I keep on top of him. So much that I begin to tire. I narrow my eyes, gripping the lead rope determinedly. Joey's stubborn, but so am I.

I turn him again, ensuring I keep up his pace. After two more circuits, the doubt is beginning to creep in.

"Keep going," Amber calls. "Not long now!"

I heave a sigh and push on, more determined than ever. And as I turn him again, I almost grin as I watch his inside ear fix on me.

Amber's gone quiet, but I'm on the home straight now; I know what to do.

Keeping him moving, I continue on as normal.

Another circuit, and he's dropped his head.

I keep going, whipping the lead rope around in my hands.

And then it happens.

He starts to chew.

After a final circuit, I drop my stance and turn away, breathing quietly to myself. Moments go by and nothing happens. But I refuse to give up, so I wait.

And suddenly, the soft sound of hoof falls becomes louder and louder. I can hear him pause hesitantly, before he continues.

And I swear, when he butts me gently in the shoulder, I've never smiled so much.

I take a tentative step forward, almost bursting with happiness when he follows me. I turn slowly in his direction, making sure not to meet his eyes, I run my hand over his nose.

He butts it playfully, burying his head in my chest. I glance at Amber proudly, and she nods, smiling to herself.

"Thank you, Amber," I say, meaning every word.

She smiles a little, her eyes glistening a little with moisture, "My pleasure."

-:-

As usual, lunch soon rolls around and I find myself a frenzy of nerves at the prospect of seeing Zac again. On one hand, I know I need to work on our relationship in order to have any hope of my stupid crush on Ty going away, but on the other hand, I have a feeling this is practically impossible.

I slip into the booth beside Soraya, sipping nervously at my drink. I watch over my glass as Zac slides in opposite me. He meets my eyes and smiles a little.

"Hi, Amy," he says in greeting.

I smile apprehensively, "Hi."

He stares down at his food, moving the fork around the bowl. He takes a deep breath, before looking straight at me, an almost determined look in his eyes. "Can I talk to you after?"

I nod in relief, "Sure." If it means I don't have to have an awkward conversation here, in front of everyone, then that's fine with me.

He smiles, almost in relief, too, "Great."

I return my focus to my food, spearing and eating a chip. I soon join in the general conversation, along with Zac. In fact, I spend the entire time chatting away with Elle about things we'd love to do before we die, a bucket list per say.

And luckily for me, I manage to avoid any awkward conversation with Zac thanks to Kate, who's made it her job to keep him busy.

I smile gratefully her way when she catches my eye, turning back to Elle, relieved I'm off the hook.

Kit and Ty are in the midst of a long conversation, and from what I manage to catch, I gather it's something about their favourite foods, or chips' to be slightly more specific.

Soraya and Adam make me smile as I watch them try to catch pieces of chocolate in their mouth's as the other throws them. It makes me so pleased to know my brother's happy, even if I can't feel the same way.

Several others, including a British boy, Jack, have joined us for lunch. I sit back in content, smiling at everyone around the table, once again relishing in the fact I'm happy, even if I do have to push two certain boys to the back of mind.

After lunch, I catch Zac's eye. With a series of see-you-later's to the group, I follow him out. He stops at an upturned log and sits down, fidgeting uncomfortably. I follow suit, wringing my hands together anxiously.

Does he feel the same way? Does he want to break up with me? Is he going to _dump_ me?!

"Amy," he starts cautiously, pulling me from my inner musings. "You're a great girl."

Great? Just great?

He coughs, uneasy, "I want to say something more."

I frown, _say something more?_

"You're really pretty," he says eventually.

Great and pretty? I could say the same about him, but what does he mean?

He sighs, "I think we both knew something after our date, didn't we?"

A gush of air rushes out of me. On one hand I'm relieved, knowing he feels the same way, but on the other hand, I now know there's no chance of forgetting my stupid crush on Ty.

I nod, "Yeah," I say, releasing any hope left within me to the wind.

I can't believe it, I've come here and made exactly the same mistake as before. But I've learnt my lesson, I really have. I've found a boy I can talk to about anything, a boy who I'd give anything to spend time with, someone who makes me happy just by smiling, a boy who makes me laugh more than anyone. It's just that he's found a girl he feels exactly the same way about. And it's Kit.

Zac relaxes, pulling me out of my thoughts, "Good."

I smile, even though it takes a lot out of me to do so. He smiles in return, but I can tell there's something else.

"You're not telling me something, are you?" I deadpan.

He signs, running a nervous hand through his hair, "No."

My brow furrows in confusion; I don't know why he's nervous.

"You should know," he starts, taking a deep breath. "I like someone else," he admits, watching me carefully, like I'm going to explode.

I almost laugh at the thought, biting back the words _so do I._

"Does she like you?" I ask, cocking my head to the side in thought.

"I don't know," he says quietly.

I twist my lips together as I run through a list of girls, "Do I know her?"

He nods, a smile tugging at his lips, "Yes, quite well."

I suddenly grin, "It's Kate, isn't it?"

He nods, grinning, "Yeah."

"That's great," I say happily.

He frowns, "You're not mad?"

I shrug, smiling a little, "No, I'm happy for you."

He smiles, "You're not half bad, Amy."

I laugh, "You're not either, Zac." I rise to my feet, and say, "Act on it, you'll thank me."

"You're sure?" he asks, running his hand through his hair again, it seems to be a habit.

I nod, "Definitely, and if we're being honest here, I think she's been crazy about you the entire time."

He grins like an idiot, "Thanks, Amy."

"I'll tell her this afternoon that we're no longer going out. We never really were, were we?" I ask.

He shakes his head, "I almost wish we were, you're a great person, Amy Fleming."

I laugh, "So are you, Zac. So are you."

With a final wave, I make my way back to the cabins. I'd be lying if I say I'm not relieved. And even though it didn't quite work out romantically, I've got a feeling we'll be great friends.

Ty's waiting by the steps of our cabin as I approach. He smiles when I wave.

"Everything okay?" he asks. I know he was listening earlier when Zac spoke to me fleetingly at lunch.

"Zac and I are no longer going out, if that's what you mean," I shrug, making my way towards the door.

He frowns, looking annoyingly adorable, "And you're okay?"

I nod, glancing at him as I step inside, "Kinda relieved, to be honest."

He nods, following me through the door, not saying another word on the topic.

And for that, I am very grateful.

* * *

**Thoughts? Was Ty ****_concerned? _****:O**

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**~wildatheart~**


	18. Chapter 18

**Penultimate chapter! That's second from last to any of you who don't know.**

**Thank you for your amazing reviews, I loved every single one!**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

I run and leap onto my bed, grabbing a pillow and hugging it to my chest. Soraya laughs, twirling dramatically across the room.

She finally lands with an ompf on her bed, sprawling out on her back. She turns her head to the side, looking straight at me, "Ty told me about Zac."

I sigh, turning my eyes to the ceiling, "He likes someone else."

She pushes up with one hand, sitting up on her side, "Who?

I smile a little, turning to face her again. "Kate," I say simply.

"I knew it!" she exclaims, laughing as she falls back down on the bed again.

We lay and chat for a while, gossiping like the two teenage girls we are. We even spend a good twenty minutes discussing Jack's British accent.

Around three in the afternoon, we join the boys in the living room. Ty's playing his guitar and Adam's singing along. Some way or another, we soon find ourselves singing with them, creating random music out of things like the coffee table and chopsticks.

We're singing the song Jump Right In madly out of tune, but grinning like idiots as Soraya and Adam drum loudly with the chopsticks.

"You can find me where the music meets the ocean!" we shout out, laughing in amusement as I climb up onto the sofa.

We reach the chorus and I jump dramatically off the piece of furniture, "And jump right in!"

Soraya and Adam throw their heads back and sing the next line together, "Let the music pull you in!"

Throwing ourselves onto the oversized beanbag, we cry, "You can jump right in!" Ty strums on the guitar, singing dramatically along with us.

As we reach the end of the song, the three of us without a real guitar are now playing an air version.

On the last line, we all shout out the words, before taking one large dramatic bow.

"ISLAND LULLABY!"

We all collapse onto the sofa, grinning madly.

"You sung without me!?" a voice exclaims incredulously from the doorway.

"Sorry, Muffin," Ty laughs as he pulls her into his lap, having placed the guitar to the side.

Marie rolls her eyes, "Every single time."

Ty kisses the top of her head affectionately, wrapping his arms around her. "What have you been up to, Muffin?"

Is it sad I'm jealous of the little girl?

She grins, launching into a detailed explanation of her day, and I'm left to watch the most amazing boy in whole wide world.

...

Sorry Adam. You're most definitely second.

-:-

The campfire is due to start at seven; it's currently five o'clock.

I slip into the chair at dinner, looking around the table as Sophia dishes up. She smiles at me as I hold up my plate for her to place the food onto. Marie squeezes in beside me, and Soraya slots in on the other side. The boys sit opposite us, drumming along on the table with the cutlery. Ty's humming the song from earlier, tapping away with his fingers. I grin, picking up my knife and fork. We're in exactly the same positions as when we first met.

I spear a potato, holding the fork up to my mouth. "Hey, do you remember the night we all met?" I ask, placing the potato in my mouth, chewing thoughtfully.

"What the night we made that bet— that I won?" Ty smirks, grinning my way.

I roll my eyes, smiling a little, "Yeah, that one."

"A lot's changed, huh," Soraya says, raising her brow.

"Yeah, you and Ty no longer hate each other," Adam nods, popping a carrot in his mouth.

"We didn't hate each other," Ty says thoughtfully, catching my eye.

"We held grudges," I finish for him.

Soraya frowns, laughing, "You'd only just met?"

"Yeah, about that," I say, refusing to meet Ty's eye. I can practically feel him narrowing them my way.

"Wait, you'd met before?" Adam classifies.

"No," Ty says quickly.

"I don't like people with green eyes," I blurt out. I can assure you, I'm lying. "They're shifty," I add in reaction to several strange looks.

There's an awkward pause, and then, "I have green eyes."

Oops.

"No," I say quickly, "just boys with green eyes."

Soraya nods slowly, processing this newly acquired information. "So," she starts, "the reason you two wouldn't stop glaring at each other—"

"I wasn't glaring," Ty injects.

Soraya continues as if he never spoke, "Was because Amy believed he was shifty. . . because he has green eyes?" She looks sceptical, but I think we just about got away with that one.

"Yes," Ty and I say in unison.

Adam looks at us incredulously, Marie looks like she's going to explode with laughter. I do a double take, why is she laughing?

Ty narrows his eyes her way and she quickly controls herself.

"I think they're both bonkers, period," Adam shrugs.

I roll my eyes in mirth. We continue to chat randomly, regularly bursting out laughing.

At half six, we decide to go and get ready. Soraya and I head off to our bedroom, quick to flick through our clothes. I twist my lips in thought, musing over what to wear.

"It's gonna be freezing, isn't it?" Soraya sighs, frowning in frustration.

I nod, "Yep."

"I don't know what to wear!?" she exclaims dramatically, sounding rather annoyed. "How is it that I have an entire suitcase full of clothes, yet I can't find a single thing to wear?!"

I laugh, hesitating for a second, before I say, "Hang on a sec."

She frowns, following me with her eyes. I scurry over to my suitcase, pulling out Soraya's neatly wrapped Christmas present. I pass it to her with a smile, "Here, you can have your's early."

Her eyes widen and she takes the gift slowly from my open hands."Really?" she asks in surprise.

I laugh, pushing it into her hands, "Of course, you can wear it tonight then."

She grins, carefully tearing at the wrapping. Pulling out the top, her jaw goes slack. "Amy, I love it!"

I smile in satisfaction, watching on as she holds the top up to her front, staring at herself in the mirror. She turns around, taking me by surprise when she hugs me tightly, "Thank you!"

After that, I quickly slip into my own outfit, before pulling on my red duffle coat. Twenty minutes later, we're ready.

I pop my head into the living room, seeing the boys perched on the sofas. They grin when they see us, rising to their feet.

Adam's dressed in his winter coat with black jeans and a grey scarf— which I've mentioned brings out his eyes.

Ty is wrapped up in a dark brown winter coat with an emerald green scarf— I can assure you, his eyes are practically glowing.

Marie bounces into the room, a happy smile on her face. "Come on," she grins, pulling on a little white hat. "Let's go!"

We all file out the cabin, along with the adults who follow close behind. As we walk across the Dude Ranch, we're joined by several of our friends. The Hale sisters stroll over, smiling happily. Elle's grinning, hand in hand with Jack.

Kate leans over and whispers, "Cutest couple, ever!"

I smile, glancing briefly at the two. "How, and when?" I ask.

"Tell you later," she says in reply, facing forward once again. I smile a little, knowing it'll be sweet.

As we pass Kit's cabin, the girl herself bounces down the porch steps. I turn away as Ty calls her over; I don't need to see any more.

Our ever growing group, consisting of: the Borden's, the Hale's, us Fleming's, and several others, including: Jack, Zac, Kit, Caleb, and all the girls we met on the first day, are making our way across the Dude Ranch to the large, fairy-light-adorned archway at the bottom of one of paddocks, where a healthy size gathering is situated.

Lou Morris, and her sister, Amber Marshal, are standing at the front, chatting among each other. Several minutes later, they turn to face us and address the crowd. "Thank you so much for joining us!" Lou calls, grinning, "Happy Christmas Eve!"

A wave of calls in response washes over the crowd, causing both women to chuckle. "Just follow us!"

As they start to move their way up the field, everyone falls into separate groups. Ty joins us up the front once again, without Kit. Said girl is in fact nowhere to be seen.

Should I be confused?

Because I am.

Very confused.

Am I going to worry?

Ye— No.

Definitely not.

...

Maybe a little.

Just a little, though.

...

I need to stop talking to myself.

...

Like now.

"Amy?" a very recognisable voice asks.

"'She staring off into space again?" a very annoying voice sighs.

"Yep," the other replies.

"She does that a lot," my brother— the annoying voice —comments.

Ty claps his hands in front of my face, "Earth to Amy?"

I roll my eyes, pushing his hands firmly away from my face.

They're tingling again, but I'm ignoring said fact.

"I'm back," I say sarcastically.

"Good," Ty sighs, shifting his guitar case on his back, "I thought we'd lost you."

I smile a little, he almost sounds caring, even if he is being sarcastic.

We soon reach a large clearing which is filled with ten or so upturned logs situated around a roaring fire.

I rub my hands together in an effort to warm up, before shoving them in my pocket. I smile to myself as I find my gloves inside, pulling them on happily.

Everyone soon finds a place to sit, and a little while later, the acts start to play. I must say, watching my brother make a fool out of himself is extremely rewarding, and almost equal to strangling him. He does do a rather spectacular job of showing off Soraya with a series of dramatic arm gestures.

Concluding their little act, they both step forward, hand in hand, and take a bow, grinning from ear to ear. They beam at each other before enveloping in a tight hug. Adam buries his face in her hair, hugging her tightly. It's actually strangely endearing, and they both pull back looking genuinely happy.

Cheers erupt among the small crowd, clapping them loudly as they walk out of the stage like area.

Next up is Marie, who's singing. Apparently, this beautiful young girl is full of talent; not only can she draw like da Vinci, she can also sing like an angel.

She sings the song Titanium, sounding far beyond her years. Her applause his huge, and I think just about everyone here is speechless. She blushes, looking down at the floor, muttering a quiet "Thank you," before she hurries off the stage straight into her brother's arms, who hugs her proudly, peppering her face with kisses. She giggles, holding her hands up in a futile attempt to stop him.

I look away, feeling like I'm spying on an otherwise private moment.

"Guess what?" Soraya appears from nowhere, falling down beside me.

"What?" I ask, pulling at the fingers of my gloves.

"Ty and Kit broke up," she whispers.

My jaw drops, "No!"

She nods.

"But they were so good together," I continue, lying through my teeth.

Soraya rolls her eyes, rising to her feet, smiling knowingly, "You may as well be made of glass, you're so see-through."

And even though she's blunt, I know she means well; after all, she's right.

Several other acts follow, but none of them render me speechless like Marie's. That is, until Ty starts to play.

I recognise the song instantly: an acoustic version of the song A Thousand Years by Christina Perri.

He's captures just about everyone's attention with the very first line, I included.

"Heartbeats fast," he sings, "colours and promises."

The way he's playing the guitar, it's like he's playing it from the heart.

"How to be brave," he continues, his eyes closed as he sings, "how can I love when I'm afraid," his eyes flutter open briefly, and they're... smoldering, "to fall."

They close again as he reaches the chorus, playing the guitar with so much conviction, like he's pouring his heart and soul into it.

And as he sings the last line, the music pouring from his guitar diminishes, and silence rings out.

That is, until he opens his eyes, and every single person rises to their feet, clapping and cheering wildly, I included.

It appears musical talent runs in the family. And guess what? So does blushing!

I probably cheer louder than anyone, grinning from ear to ear.

Marie runs on stage, once again, straight into his arms, laughing without a care in the world as he spins her around. He hugs her tightly, beaming. And then, suddenly he looks up, and looks straight at me.

And what does he do?

He smirks.

And I?

Well, I roll my eyes and stick my tongue out, of course.

And my punishment?

He strides over and envelopes me in a tight hug.

And is this moment, I'm very close to being the happiest girl in the world.

I hug him just as tightly back, grinning from ear to ear, 'cause right now, for some strange reason, it actually feels like he loves me back.

* * *

**Aw, so cute! ;)**

**D'you think he loves her back? What if he doesn't see her that way?**

**Thoughts? Let me know!**

**One more chapter to go, then it's the epilogue, which I'm writing now! ;)**

**Lots and lots of reviews needed for that, though. ;)**

**AND! If you want to know how Ty sound when he sings, check out this cover: **

**Boyce Avenue - A Thousand Years on YouTube!**

**AH-MAZING!**

**AND! If you want to know how Marie sings, that's pronounced Muh-_ree_ by the way, not like Mary. Anyway, check out this cover:**

**Jasmine Thompson - ****Titanium**

**Again, AH-MAZING! ;)**

**Seriously, I can't stop smiling.**

**One more time, I promise.**

**;)**

**~wildatheart~**


	19. Chapter 19

**So it's just turned midnight here in the UK, and here I am, updating as I promised. Just several minutes after I said I would.**

**Oh, someone mentioned in their review about the irony of me using Amber Marshal's name. I meant to use it like that, because I wanted to show they looked rather similar. ;) Thank you for noticing, though. I hope this doesn't sound rude; that's not at all how I intend it. ;)**

**This is the last chapter I'm sad to say, it'll be sad to see this story finished. Just the epilogue left to go, now. :(**

**Anyway, ENJOY! ;)**

* * *

I'm beaming as I look outside the window this morning.

Christmas morning!

Cue squeal.

"Ahh!"

Take a guess on who is running around the living room, tinsel hanging from their shoulders, and with a massive grin on their face.

Still guessing...?

Keep guessing...

Guessed yet?

...

It's Adam.

...

I should be mortified, but I'm not.

I'm laughing, joining in.

We've all gone a tad crazy, because guess what?

It's snowing!

Ahh!

It's around half seven in the morning, and we've decided to forgo presents for the time being, and play in the snow.

Pajama clad, and wrapped up warm from head to toe, we pile out the door, laughing freely.

We all spin happily in the light flurries of snow, falling flat on our backs, grinning like idiots.

I discreetly pack a snowball in my hand, carefully lining up my aim. We're all spaced out across the front garden. Everyone is just staring at the white sky, so I'm good.

I slowly sit up, only to gasp in shock when a hard ball of ice hits me right in my stomach. I narrow my eyes, slowing looking up.

The offender?

Ty.

And smack!

I have quite a good aim.

We both clamber to our feet, quick to find we are stood a way away from the others.

Apparently, we're on the same wavelength.

Ty holds a finger to his mouth in the universal signal of shush. I nod obediently. That damn smile'll be the death of me, I'm sure.

Silently, we both create several snowballs. To be quite honest, I feel like a criminal.

Not long later, we slowly creep over to our two victims of whom are currently making angels in the snow.

We aim, and we fire.

"Oh my god!" Soraya shreeches.

"Amy..." my brother draws out, sounding very, very, annoyed.

Ty and I look shoot each other rather worried looks.

"Oops."

"We're so gonna get you," Soraya says evilly as they both rise to their feet.

I look straight at Ty and meet his gaze.

"What do we do now?" I ponder casually. "Shall we run?"

He shakes his head, standing stock still. "No, just don't move. They'll attack if you move."

"Do we look like animals?!" Adam cries incredulously.

One look their way and the answer is very much yes.

They take a step forward, bending down to scoop up their weapon.

"What about now?" I raise an eyebrow.

"Run!" Ty yells. "Definitely run!"

So I do.

I practically leg it.

"They're closing in on us!" I shout as we enter the forest.

"They can't shoot a moving target!" he yells back, pushing through the branches.

In this second, I'm hit square in the back with a freezing cold ball of ice. "Yes they can— aah!"

And I promptly land face first in the snow. Impeccable timing, I tell you.

Ty runs back, grabs my hand and hauls me up. And then he keeps running, and he doesn't let go of my hand.

My hand's all tingly again.

I'm practically beaming, too.

We soon find ourselves rather far into the forest, and slowly begin to stop. I fall, out of breath, onto the forest floor. I forget I am gripping Ty's hand and promptly pull him down with me.

"I think we lost them," I muse, turning to face him, refusing to sever the link between our hands.

He laughs softly, "You think?"

I roll my eyes, sighing. "I think this is one of best Christmas's I've ever had."

He grins, surprising me when he squeezes my hand, "Me too."

"I'm so glad I met you and your family," I say softly.

"You know we class you as family now, right?" Ty says, smiling kindly at me.

"Wow, no, thanks," my eyes widen in surprise. We're quiet for a moment or two until I say, "What are you to me then?"

He goes silent, his brow furrowing in thought. "What do you want me to be?" he finally asks after a long pause.

I bite down on my lip, turning my face skyward. We're silent for a moment; I can't answer that!

"Do you remember when we first met?" Ty asks after a while.

I smile a little, and before I know it, I've blurted out: "I don't hate green eyes, by the way."

I can practically see the breathtaking crooked smile curl at his lips as he turns his head to the sky, saying softly, "I know."

I study the canopy of trees all laden with snow, a smile playing on my lips just thinking about the boy beside me.

"D'you think first impressions are really that important?" Ty asks.

A smile tugs at my lips, "No."

"That's good," he says, "cause first time I saw you, you were impersonating a goldfish."

I burst out laughing, digging him in the side playfully with my elbow, "And you kidnapped me!"

I can feel him rolling his eyes, "I didn't—"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," I cut in. "You were just making sure I didn't tell on you," I recall sarcastically.

"You remember that?" he smiles happily.

"How could I forget?" I retort, "It was the first time I met—..." I trail off, shutting my eyes in embarrassment, realising I've said too much.

He chuckles softly, and I grin again; I love his laugh.

"Merry Christmas, by the way," Ty says, his hand still connected with mine.

I squeeze it gently, "Merry Christmas to you, too."

"Do you want your Christmas present?" he asks, looking straight at me, his eyes a perfect emerald.

I turn to face him, "Depends on what it is."

He grins, almost looking nervous, "A kiss?"

Unknowingly, he's just thrown my mind into a complete and utter frenzy. In fact, my heart feels like it's going to explode, but I just beam, and say, "I love it."

He laughs softly, lifting my chin up with his finger as he leans in. When his lips are practically touching mine, he frowns, "Wait, what d'you get me?"

I roll my eyes and grab his collar, pulling his lips down to mine. He smiles against them and says, "Best present _ever_."

* * *

**THOUGHTS?!**

**I'm c****urrently half way through writing the epilogue, so I'm going to need A LOT of reviews if you'd like that out any time soon. I want to make it extra long for all my amazing readers as a MASSIVE THANK**YOU** to everyone who's read and loved my story. ;) Big hugs to all of you! ;)**

**Do you actually want an epilogue?**

**Let me know!**

**~wildatheart~**


	20. Epilogue

**So.. the epilogue! Big news at the end in the author's note! **

**ENJOY!**

* * *

I grin widely as rest my head on Ty's back, wrapping my arms around his neck. Soraya's opposite me, sitting comfortably on Adam's back. "This is so fun!" I laugh, tickling Ty's sides a little.

"Amy," he says sternly, but I just giggle as he tenses up, trying to fight a laugh.

"Sorry!" I trill innocently.

Adam rolls his eyes, but they're full of happiness as Soraya kisses the top of his head.

"Jack!" a voice gasps in shock. I glance their way, not bothering to fight back a laugh as I watch Jack fling Elle over his shoulder. "Put me down!" she drums on this back, annoyed, but laughing happily all at the same time.

"No," his crisp British voice says defiantly.

"Jack!" Elle whines before her body goes limp in surrender. Her boyfriend grins triumphantly.

Zac and Kate stroll into the clearing, their laced hands swinging gently between them.

"Where've you been?" I raise an eyebrow knowingly Kate's way.

She smiles sheepishly, glancing fleetingly at Zac, "Somewhere," she admits vaguely.

I laugh, happy for her. She walks over to join her sister who is still slung over Jack's shoulder.

"You alright there, Elle?" she asks nonchalantly.

"No," her sister huffs in reply, crossing her arms on Jack's back.

"Everyone's here," Adam states, nodding to himself, "good; we can finally have some fun." He turns to me, "Ames, the rules?" he prompts.

I sigh, fighting back a smile. I list them off on the hand that isn't around Ty's neck, "Okay, so, rules are: it's couples against couples; you can get over the jumps anyway you want as long as you're touching in some way." Everyone nods, and I finish, "Fastest time wins."

With that, everyone grins, quick to discuss tactics with their partner.

I kiss Ty's cheek softly as he turns his head, snuggling into his back, "So, how we gonna do this?"

He twists his lips in thought and I have to physically stop myself from kissing him, _tactics, people._

"I don't know," he replies after a moment. A smile plays on his perfect lips, "We're gonna win this, though, right?"

"Of course," I smile.

He grins, before calling out, "Who's going first?"

"Us!" Kate's hand shoots up.

Zac rolls his eyes affectionately, whispering something in her ear as they walk towards the makeshift starting line. She nods seriously, pecking him on the lips briefly before turning determinedly to face the course.

They're holding hands, eying the course confidently.

Adam holds his phone up, "On your marks, get set, GO!"

They scramble off over the first jump, laughing as they stumble multiple times. Another three jumps and they're soon approaching the last one; we've shortened the course for obvious reasons. They're three minutes in, ploughing through the thick snow.

"Come on, Kate!" I encourage.

Zac shoots me look that clearly says: _What about me?_ I roll my eyes, watching as they make for the last jump.

With one large push-off the ground, they throw themselves over the last fence, only to land in a heap on the floor.

We burst out laughing, clapping them for their worthy performance. They rise, Kate leaning on Zac for support as she falls into hysterics.

The next up is Adam and Soraya. They do great and make a big show of launching themselves over the jumps. Next are Jack and Elle.

Fortunately for Elle, Jack has finally put her down and they're standing at the start of the course with huge smiles on their faces.

"Bring it on!" Jack exclaims, and Elle laughs in amusement.

So far they're efforts are the best, and I'm pretty sure they're winning.

"Last, but certainly not least: Amy and Ty!" my brother announces dramatically, gesturing to us with large, over the top, arm movements.

I roll my eyes, laughing affectionately at his blatant immaturity. I nudge Ty gently with my legs as I am still sitting on his back. "Walk," I giggle childishly.

Ty obeys obediently, going forward to walk. Soraya giggles behind me, and I glance at her with grin.

I barely hear Adam as he counts down, only hearing the loud: "GO!"

The first jump is relatively low and I bounce up and down on Ty's back as we approach it in "trot". Luckily, we make it over. We clear the next two jumps with ease and prepare ourselves for the last fence.

"We can do this," I say determinedly. Ty nods in agreement, picking up speed. I hang on for dear life as he launches us over the fence. We land in an untouched patch of snow, the impact absorbed by the soft ice.

"Woo hoo!" I shout out, grinning widely. I roll over and kiss Ty in celebration.

He smiles against my lips, "We _so _won."

"Uh, huh," I laugh.

"Excuse me," Adam breaks in, "brother here!"

I turn to him, "Like you can talk?"

He thinks about it for about a second before he shrugs, grinning as he grabs Soraya and kisses her happily, "Right as always."

I roll my eyes and return to kissing my boyfriend. Who just happens to be the most amazing person in the whole wide world?

...

I have a feeling Adam will have something to say about that.

-:-

I sigh in content, resting my head on the ultra fluffy pillow before me. We're all situated in a circle, lying on our fronts. Soraya, Kate, Elle, and I, that is. We kicked the guys out a while ago, craving some long-awaited girl-time. From the noises outside, we're assuming they're making a snowman. In fact, I believe my brother just named it Frosty.

Sometimes I wonder . . .?

"So, when did you first know you liked him, like liked him, liked him?" Soraya rests her chin in her hand, waiting expectantly for my answer. All eyes turn to me and mine fall to the red pillow in front of me, refusing to meet their eyes.

"Well..." I drag out, shooting a questioning glance at Soraya. Does she seriously want to know when I fell in love with her twin? She nods as if to say: _go on. _Apparently so.

"Well, knowing I loved him and actually loving him are two entirely different things," I start. The girls frown, and I quickly continue. "I've loved him practically since the day I lay eyes on him—"

"The day he walked into the cabin?" Soraya interjects, clarifying my point.

I pause, weighing it up. "About that..."

She raises her eyebrows, so I begrudgingly continue. "He kinda kidnapped me."

Their eyes bug simultaneously. _Oops_.

"Okay, well he didn't kidnap me. Or at least he claims he didn't..." I trail off, my mind travelling.

I'd be surprised if their eyes got any bigger than they are now.

"Basically, we met before," I sum up, hoping to cut short their millions of questions.

"Right..." Kate says slowly, processing the new information.

"I knew it!" Soraya cries triumphantly. "I just knew it!" she beams.

I smile a little, my cheeks glowing a faint pink.

She grins, "Okay, if we're being totally honest here, I think he's loved you from the beginning."

It's my eyes that widen this time.

"I mean, that'd explain his eyes. You've seen them right?" she gushes.

I nod. _Who hasn't?_

"Anyway," Elle says. "Go back to what you were saying, when did you _know _you loved him?"

We've already quizzed her for a good half an hour on her love for Mr. Beautiful British Accent, so she's eager to get her own back.

I smile a little, remembering our late night conversation. "D'you remember that night I went down to the stables?" I direct the question at Soraya, who nods in reply.

"Well, Ty followed down not long after, and... he told me about his horse."

Soraya's eyes widen a fraction, but she remains silent.

"Well, he'd said that morning, that if," a smile curls at my lips just thinking about it, "I don't tell him how my date went, he'd have to tickle it out of me." I grin, "And I'm kinda stubborn. But so is he. He tickled me for what felt like forever," I laugh. "But what struck me was that I didn't care, 'cause it was Ty. That's when I realised I loved him." I finish, looking up at the girls.

Kate looks like she's just read a super cute romance novel and Soraya and Elle are smiling happily.

"Adam told me he came back beaming that night," Soraya says. "And so did you."

I shrug, a smile playing at my lips.

"We kinda put two and two together," she adds sheepishly.

I laugh, and so do Kate and Elle.

"Aww, you two are _so _cute!" Kate squeals.

I blush, pulling at the hem of the fluffy red cushion. Once my cheeks have returned to their usual colour, and the girls have finished their evaluation of whether he was good enough for me. Soraya had the last word on that one, "He's a gentleman, but he's really childish, too." According to Kate and Elle, he's my perfect match.

"Nicknames!" Kate squeals, clapping her hands together to gain our attention. "We should all come up with nickname for our respective guys."

I almost scoff; I have plenty of them. They all turn to me, confused, and I shrug, "What? I have loads."

Elle raises her eyebrow, "Go on."

I sigh, readjusting my elbows to become more comfortable. "Well," I start, ticking them off on my fingers, "Ego Head, Camera Boy, Green Eyed, Mr. Mischievous... The list goes on."

Soraya looks positively amused, while Kate and Elle just giggle.

"Okay," Kate says, "how about we name them after fruits?!"

"Fruits!?" Soraya and I cry out simultaneously.

Elle tries to stifle a laugh but fails dramatically. "Yeah, fruits," she says. "Kate and I always used to do it."

"Okay," I say slowly, "who's first?"

"Me!" Kate squeals.

We laugh, waiting expectantly for her to speak.

"Nectarine!" she beams, watching us with bright eyes.

"Okay," Elle's the first to recover, "why?"

"Because he's sweet," she grins happily.

I laugh, smiling, "Okay. Who's next?"

"Me?" Elle says tentatively.

We all turn to look at her, "Go on."

"Okay," her eyebrows draw together in thought, "how about... apples?"

"Why?" Soraya presses.

"He's got a crisp British accent, he's really sweet, and," she shrugs, "apples are British."

"Good one," Kate nods, smiling.

Elle grins at her, laughing at the sheer absurdity of the situation.

"Your turn," she looks to me.

I twist my lips in thought. Lifting my eyes, I admit, "I was gonna say apples, too. Green ones, though."

Soraya laughs, "Why?"

I smile, "I love apples… and his eyes are _really_ green. Like emerald."

"Okay, Soraya?" Kate asks, resting her chin in her hand.

She scrunches her face up in thought, before grinning and saying, "Monkey-Apple."

"Where did you hear _that_?" Elle exclaims incredulously.

"Some TV program," Soraya shrugs, smiling dismissively.

"Why 'Monkey-Apple' then?" I ask, interested in her bizarre fruit.

"He's very mischievous, and I called him a cheeky monkey sometimes in my head," she laughs, strange I know."

"Have you heard _mine_?" I interject incredulously.

She grins at that, "Yes." She shakes her head in amusement, "Anyway, his name starts with 'a' so apple kinda fits."

"So… I say, sitting up and crossing my legs. I tick them off on my fingers, "It's: Nectarine, Red-Apple, Green-Apple, and Monkey-Apple…" I trail off. "God we're mad."

"Yep!" they all chorus in a fit of laughter.

When we finally calm down, I clamber to my feet, "Come on, let's go and see the boys."

They're all quick to agree and we make our way to the bedroom door. I pull it open, only to hear a loud crash. I gape in shock, taking in the scene before me.

In a heap on the floor are four boys and each one of them looks thoroughly annoyed. "Monkey-Apple?!

" My brother's the first to blurt out incredulously.

Zac shakes his head, as if he can't quite work out what he's hearing. "Nectarine?!"

The other two soon follow, almost simultaneously blurting out, "Apple?!"

Us girls, now recovered from our previous shock, burst out laughing. "You were spying on us?" Soraya asks, eyeing the smashed glasses on the floor. "Seriously?"

"No, no!" suddenly comes a voice. "You did it wrong!" They sigh frustrated. "I told you to be careful!" She looks up at us and lets out an innocent, "Oops."

"You betrayed us!" Soraya exclaims, her mouth agape. "Marie!"

The little devil makes a run for it, her happy laugh trailing after her.

**-:-**

I sigh happily, playing about with the photo in my lap, my mind floating back to yesterday; Christmas morning.

We all huddled around the resident Christmas tree, staring excitedly at our presents. Marie was running around happily, claiming she was almost sure Santa had got her a new bridle.

"Okay," Sophia said. "Who's first?"

"Me!" Marie exclaimed. We all laughed and handed her our presents to her. She was beaming at the growing mound before her, looking like she was going to explode if she didn't open at least one of them in the next second. She tore at the wrapping paper, her normal grace momentarily abandoned. "Ahh! I got a new bridle!" She moved to the next one, "Ohmigod, Amy! I love it!" She immediately placed the bracelet on her wrist admiring the writing inscribed inside. And so it went like that until we had all received our own presents.

From Dad I got a new phone, one I've asked for for months. Adam gave me a new edition of my favourite book and a case for my phone. I hugged him tightly, thanking him over and over. He is truly the best brother I could ever ask for. From Marie I got some beautiful earrings. From her mom and dad, I received some of my favourite chocolates. Next came Soraya, who bought me a lovely necklace and a special pen. I was confused until Ty showed me his gift to me. It was a quaint handmade diary, and inside, paper clipped to the first page, was that infamous photograph. Scribbled on the back were the words:_ Three goldfishes. _Ty told me he bought it so I could write like my mom used to, record everything I know. His sentiment brought me to tears.

Ty sinks down before me, resting against the armchair I'm sitting in, effectively pulling me from reverie. I grin, placing my new diary down and leaning forward to kiss him on the head. He beams up at me, sighing as I start to fiddle with his hair.

I leant down and whispered in his ear, "Will you play us a song?"

He grins, his eyes still closed. He turns and kisses me softly on the lips, leaving me smiling happily as he rises to his feet.

And as he starts to play, I bask in the fact that he loves me. That I've finally found my Western Dream Boy, and that he's far more perfect than I could have ever imagined. I stare down at the picture of the _three goldfishes_ and grin. Yes, perfect, that just about sums everything up.

Absolutely** perfect.**

* * *

**Okay, so this was just to tie up any loose ends. To be honest, I don't really like it. But, anyway, tell me what you think! ;)**

******!*!***!BIG NEWS!*!*!

**I've written the next chapter for A GUARDIAN ANGEL! I'm so excited to get back into that story again. ;) And believe me when I tell you, something BIG happens. :O !**

**Please let me know your thoughts!**

**THANKYOU FOR READING THIS STORY! I hope you enjoyed it, too!**

**~wildatheart~**


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